An unnamed United Nations Security Council diplomat has told CNN that North Korea has been sending supplies to Syria that could be used to produce chemical weapons. According to the report, the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity said that North Korea had sent acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers to Syria. The diplomat was citing a report on North Korea authored by a UN panel of experts.
The same report also claimed that North Korean missile experts visited Syria in 2016 and 2017, after the chemical weapons supplies had been sent to the Middle Eastern state, stressing that they may have assisted the country in the development of the weapon.
'During one of the trips, the technicians stayed at Syrian military facilities. A UN member state reported to the panel of experts that scientists from North Korea may still be operating in Barzeh, Adra and Hama.'
The report is coming barely two days after the Syrian regime was accused of carrying out a chlorine gas attack on Eastern Ghouta, a suburb in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has repeatedly denied claims that it uses chemical weapons although Medical aid organizations say they have routinely treated victims of chemical attacks and blame government forces, as the country's war nears its seventh anniversary.
Specifically, the Syrian government denied the accusations there were missile experts from North Korea inside the country, saying instead they were sports trainers.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said they were closely watching North Korea's attempts to evade UN sanctions. "We are racing to intercept North Korea's violation of UN resolution and putting all diplomatic efforts with cooperation with the international community," she said.
