North Korea denies that it is helping Syria to manufacture chemical weapons or to supply material for its production.
The North Korean state press agency KNCA states that the accused are made up and come from the United States to pressure North Korea.
“As we have already said very clearly, we do not develop and produce chemical weapons, nor do we have such weapons in stock, in fact, we are opposed to the use of chemical weapons,” says a spokesperson for the North Korean ministry. of Foreign Affairs.
According to reports from experts from the United Nations, North Korea has indeed shipped material to Syria that can be used in chemical weapons. The UN staff, who want to remain anonymous, state that they are acid-resistant tiles, valves and pipes.
Five shiploads have been transported to Syria via a Chinese transport company from the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2017. They are part of dozens of transports for several years.
According to the UN report, North Korean missile experts visited the military facilities in Syria in 2016 and 2017 after the material for the chemical weapons was delivered. The UN staff do not exclude the fact that North Koreans are still working in Hama, Barzah and Adreh in Syria.
Prohibition
In early 2014, after an agreement in the United Nations, the destruction of the chemical weapons of Syria was started. In 2014, the OPCW, the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, declared that all chemical weapons had left Syria.
Nevertheless, several attacks have taken place since then. Like in 2017 in Idlib. 72 people were killed in the attack.