DPRK Korea: Continued militarisation a ‘serious concern’, political affairs chief warns Security Council

It comes after the DPRK – more commonly known as North Korea – launched a new five-year military development plan this year, which is in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, noted Under Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo.

‘New arsenals’

Pyongyang’s strategy to keep developing “new secret arsenals” and assets is also a challenge to global nuclear disarmament efforts, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, she told ambassadors.

Security Council resolution 1718 (2006) provided a framework for targeted sanctions on North Korea including an arms embargo. 

However, support for sanctions from the international community remains in doubt after permanent member Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution that sought to renew the role of a UN independent panel to monitor sanctions. in 2024, triggering a General Assembly debate on the move. 

Ms. DiCarlo, urged North Korea “to fully comply with its international obligations,” and reemphasised the Secretary-General’s calls on the international community to “abide by the relevant Security Council sanctions in their relations with the DPRK.”

Continued militarisation 

Ms. DiCarlo told the Council that in light of the five-year plan endorsed in February DPRK President Kim Jong Un had reaffirmed the country’s commitment to “further advancing its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.”

At the same time throughout 2025 and into early 2026, the DPRK has continued to conduct ballistic missile launches, including short-range projectiles, multiple launch rocket systems, long-range strategic cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles. 

Earlier this month, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned of a “very serious increase” in the DPRK’s fissile material production capacity at the Yongbyon nuclear site.

“At this critical juncture, it is essential to underscore the urgent need to reduce nuclear risk, prevent any use of nuclear weapons and bring about their total elimination,” Ms. DiCarlo said.  

Sanctions concerns

There are growing concerns that sanctions are being violated by some member states of the international community, according to new evidence presented at the council meeting by James Byrne, CEO of the Open Source Centre.

This includes high-resolution satellite imagery which reportedly shows that vessels continue to load prohibited cargo in North Korea, establishing a “clear pattern of activity” that violates resolutions 2371(2017) and 2397(2017).

“This is not a series of isolated incidents. It is an ongoing pattern of UN sanctions violations,” Mr. Byrne said.

Tension on the Korean Peninsula 

The broader security landscape on the Korean Peninsula remains tense amid heightened military activities that are being compounded by “limited avenues for inter-Korean and regional dialogue and growing concerns over the potential for miscalculation,” Political and Peacebuilding Affairs chief DiCarlo said. 

“The only way to durably reduce tensions and alleviate these concerns is to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” she added. “Dialogue and diplomacy are indispensable to achieving this objective.”

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