Tough financial sanctions and an arms embargo from the UN have significantly delayed expansion of Pyongyang's nuclear arms program, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters.
Now for the first time, a UN panel of experts has specified exactly what materials North Korea is looking to import in order to complete its nuclear aspiration.
Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols of Reuterscovered the panel's findings from the U.N.:
The panel said countries should be on the lookout for North Korean attempts to procure the following key items for Pyongyang's nuclear program - maraging steel, frequency changers, high-strength aluminum alloy, fibrous or filiamentary materials, filament winding machines, ring magnets, semi-hard magnetic alloys in thin strip form and other items.
In particular, western officials believe the DPRK wants a nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of reaching as far as the U.S.
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