LOC16:55
13:55 GMT
TOKYO, Jan 12 (KUNA) -- North Korea exported USD 100-million worth of
weapons to the Middle East and Africa last year, Seoul's public broadcaster
KBS reported Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
According to KBS, North Korean authorities used the money reaped from such
exports to strengthen the North's military ability and renovate the residences
of leader Kim Jong-il.
During the 1980s' Iran-Iraq War, Pyongyang made billions of dollars through
the sale of arms, but since then, its export volume of weapons has been on a
continuous decline, the report said. In particular, the imposition of UN
sanctions that came after the Norths nuclear test in October 2006 has taken a
huge bite out of the countrys weapons export profits.
Some countries are concerned that North Korea's state-of-the-art military
technology is being exported to Syria and Iran. In September 2007, Israel
conducted an air strike on a building in Syria that was suspected to be a
military facility set up with the help of North Korea. (end)
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KUNA 121655 Jan 09NNNN