| Year/Date |
Importer |
Item(s) |
Remarks |
| 1947-1950 |
USSR |
Over 9,000 tons of uranium and an unknown amount of monazite |
|
| 1952 |
China |
“nuclear material” |
|
| 1985 |
USSR |
$6 billion worth of uranium ore |
|
| 1989 |
Iran |
Nuclear expertise |
Professor Pak Kwan O, a nuclear engineer, visits Iran. |
| 1990s |
China, Japan, Spain, and Hong Kong |
1,500 tons of monazite annually |
|
| 1993 |
Iran |
Nuclear missile technology |
Alleged by German weekly Focus on 24 January 1993. |
| Mid-August 1994 |
German citizen |
Up to 2.5mg of plutonium |
Prevented; it is unclear whether North Korea is the intended importer or exporter of the plutonium. |
| March 1996 |
Pakistan |
35 tons of “nuclear material” |
Prevented; seized in Kaoshiung, Taiwan. A report claims Taiwanese authorities tested a material believed to be “nitroglycerin,” which is not a “nuclear material,” but it could be used in the high-explosive triggering device in a bomb. However, it is unclear whether this shipment is related to nuclear weapons development. |
| November 2003 |
Mayanmar |
Technical assistance possibly related to reactor construction and mining of uranium ore |
Alleged, but not confirmed. In November 2003, North Korean technicians are reportedly sighted in Myanmar assisting with the unloading of construction equipment at a location not far from a planned reactor site. North Korean mining experts are also allegedly seen in Myanmar assisting in a search for uranium ore. However, the specific timeframe for this alleged prospecting is unclear. |
| 2007 |
Syria |
Technical assistance in constructing nuclear reactor for plutonium production |
Suspected. On 6 September 2007, Israel warplanes bomb a facility in Syria that is allegedly a plutonium production reactor under construction. Media reports speculate that Syria was receiving technical assistance from North Korea in constructing the reactor — later formally alleged in April 2008 by the United States. |
Complete citations and further details are available in the nuclear chronology within this country profile. This table includes all types of reported transactions: complete weapon systems, components and special materials, production technologies and information, training and human resources, etc.
Sources:
[1] Deutsche Presse-Agentu
[2] Focus
[3] Hankook Ilbo
[4] Jane's Defense Weekly
[5] Jane's Intelligence Review
[6] KAERI
[7] Korean Federation of Commerce and Industry in Japan
[8] Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency; Lien Ho Pao; Lee Chae Sŭng, Pukhan'ŭl Umjig'i'nŭn Technocrat.
[9] Glenn Kessler, "N. Korea, Syria May Be at Work on Nuclear Facility," Washington Post, 13 September 2007, www.washingtonpost.com
[10] Richard Weitz, "Israeli Air Strike in Syria: International Reactions," Center for Nonproliferation Studies website, 1 November 2007, http://www.cns.miis.edu.
[11] Yonhap News Agency, "US Says North Korea Nuclear Talks to Continue Despite Syria Link," in BBC Monitoring, 25 April 2008, http://web.lexis-nexis.com
[12] Greg Miller and Paul Richter, "The World; U.S. Opens Dossier on Syrian Facility; It Tells Congress that North Korea Helped Build a Nuclear Reactor and that an Israeli Airstrike Destroyed it," Los Angeles Times, 25 April 2008, http://web.lexis-nexis.com
[13] Ewen MacAskill, "US Claims North Korea Helped Build Syria Reactor Plant: Damascus Dismisses Video of Unit Bombed by Israel: Congress Told Site was Set Up to Produce Plutonium," The Guardian, 25 April 2008, htpp://web.lexis-nexis.com
[14] David E. Sanger, "Bush Administration Releases Images to Bolster Its Claims About Syrian Reactor," New York Times, 25 April 2008, in Lexis-Nexis, web.lexis-nexis.com.
[15] Bertil Linter, Clouded alliance - North Korea and Myanmar's covert ties, 17 September 2009, Jane's Intelligence Review from OSC.
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Updated February 2010 |
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