But the international sanctions monitoring regime on North Korea has been disbanded, raising concerns about the unimpeded flow of North Korean weapons to global hotspots from Ukraine to Gaza. For example, North Korea has bought a number of ships that it uses to disguise its trading activities through front companies. To further facilitate its illicit trade, North Korea also continues to use Automated Identification System (AIS) spoofing for its ships. Now, the end of much enforcement of North Korean sanctions will enable it to further expand its buyer network. North Korean weapons were reportedly used by Hamas in its operations against Israel from October 2023 onward.
