The U.S. Department of State's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Jonathan Fritz, addressed United Nations Member States and the press regarding the second report from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT). The briefing highlighted ongoing violations and evasions of United Nations sanctions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), specifically through illicit cyber activities and information technology worker operations.
According to Fritz, "The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the enforcement of UN sanctions on the DPRK. We are confident that the MSMT will continue to publish timely, globally relevant, and fact-based reports on the DPRK’s UN sanctions violations across a range of topics."
The MSMT was created in 2024 after Russia vetoed an extension for the UN 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, which had previously monitored North Korean compliance with international sanctions. The team includes representatives from eleven countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea (Republic of Korea), the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The most recent MSMT report was published on October 22, 2025. It is available in six languages—English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic—and details how North Korea uses cyber operations and overseas IT workers to bypass restrictions imposed by international bodies. A recording of Fritz's January 12 briefing is also accessible online.
Further details about these efforts can be found on the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team website.
