A new report by a panel of United Nations experts reviewed by the New York Times shows North Korea has been aiding the Syrian government in the development of its chemical weapons program.
U.N. investigators found supplies such as acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers shipped from North Korea, in addition to North Korean missile technicians working in Syrian chemical weapons and missile facilities.
The chemical weapons supplies are suspected to be part of at least 40 unreported shipments from North Korea to Syria between 2012 and 2017 that contained materials that could be used for either military or civilian purposes, according to the Times.
The report comes as the Syrian government has been accused by the United States and other nations of using chemical weapons on civilians, most recently in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus where a suspected chlorine gas attack killed at least 23 people.
The U.N. report illustrates the potential danger of this kind of trade between Syria and North Korea, where the North Koreans supply Syria with components for its chemical weapons and the Syrians provide the North Koreans with money for its nuclear weapons program.
The Syrian government has repeatedly denied claims of using chemical weapons in the war.
