The governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom have released a joint statement on the latest report from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT). The report focuses on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) activities that violate and evade United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) through cyber operations and information technology (IT) worker schemes.
According to the statement, "We, the participating states of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), have released a report today on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) violations and evasions of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) through cyber operations and information technology (IT) worker activities. The MSMT is a multilateral mechanism established in October 2024 to monitor and report on the implementation of UN sanctions measures relating to the DPRK. The report is available on the official MSMT website (https://msmt.info)."
This is the second report issued by the MSMT, following a previous report in May 2025 that examined unlawful military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia. The new report highlights connections between UN-designated DPRK entities and cyber activities such as cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work, and cyber espionage. It compiles information from participating states and private sector sources about DPRK’s sanctions violations and shows how these activities are used to generate funds for the country’s weapons programs. The statement notes, "The report consolidates information provided by MSMT participating states and the private sector related to the DPRK’s sanctions violation and evasion activity, and illustrates the DPRK’s ongoing exploitation of foreign governments, private businesses, and the public to steal and fraudulently obtain billions of dollars for its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. UN-designated DPRK entities, including the Reconnaissance General Bureau, carry out many of these activities to evade the asset freeze imposed in UNSCR 1718."
The MSMT aims to inform the international community about these threats. The statement says, "The MSMT is sharing this information to provide the international community with critical information to protect their governments, private businesses, and citizens from DPRK cyber actors and IT worker schemes. We encourage all UN member states to raise awareness about the DPRK’s malicious cyber activities and hold responsible parties accountable for UNSCR violations, including through sanctions."
The report also addresses a gap in monitoring that resulted from the disbandment of the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts in April 2024. This disbandment followed a Russian veto in March 2024. The statement continues, "This report addresses the monitoring gap created by the disbandment of the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts in April 2024, caused by Russia’s veto in March 2024. The report will assist with the full implementation of UN resolutions by the international community. Considering the continued violations and evasions of relevant UNSCRs, we urge the Security Council to reestablish the Panel of Experts in the same strength and structure it had prior to its disbandment."
The participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to implementing UN Security Council resolutions. They also called on North Korea to engage in diplomacy and asked all UN member states to support efforts to maintain international peace and security. "With the release of this second MSMT report, we underscore once again our shared determination to fully implement relevant UNSCRs. We urge the DPRK to engage in meaningful diplomacy, and we call on all UN Member States to join global efforts to maintain international peace and security in the face of ongoing threats from the DPRK and those who facilitate its illicit activities in violation of relevant UNSCRs."
The statement concludes, "We will continue our efforts to monitor the implementation of UNSCRs relating to the DPRK and expose ongoing attempts to violate and evade UN sanctions."
