DESPERATELY SEEKING MISSILE PARTS: This week, the United States warned companies that North Korean procurement entities are employing “deceptive techniques” to subvert international sanctions aimed at curbing the North’s ballistic missile program.

“North Korea relies on foreign-sourced ballistic missile-related components that it cannot produce domestically. To obtain these components, North Korea uses an extensive overseas network of procurement agents, including officials who operate from North Korean diplomatic missions or trade offices, as well as third-country nationals and foreign companies,” the State Department said in an industry advisory on Tuesday.