North Korean Nuclear Weapons Parts Acquired Through Berlin Alleges German Intelligence Head

The head of a German intelligence agency accused North Korea of acquiring parts for their missile and nuclear weapons programs through its embassy in Berlin.

“We determined that procurement activities have been carried out from there that are, in our view, done with a view to the missile program and sometimes also for the nuclear program,” Hans-Georg Maassen, head of Germany’s domestic security agency BfV, said in a television interview with public broadcaster NDR set to air Monday.

North Korea has resisted international pressure to slow down or stop its rapidly developing ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. The United Nations and the United States have hit North Korea with burdensome economic sanctions aimed at crippling their weapons programs. North Korea attempts to skirt these sanctions through black markets and smuggling.

“When we see such things, we stop them. But we cannot guarantee that we spot and block each attempt,” said Maassen about acquiring potential weapons parts in Germany in comments released by NDR.

The spy chief said the goods North Korea acquired were so-called “dual use,” meaning they had civilian and military uses. The U.N. had banned the sale of dual-use technology to North Korea.

The North Korean embassy could not be reached by International Business Times for comment, and the embassy has released no public comment on the accusations.

Last year North Korea conducted a number of ballistic missile tests including launching three long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. The tests showed that North Korea theoretically can strike anywhere in the U.S. with a ballistic missile. The nation also conducted its sixth nuclear weapon test last year, claiming that the weapon they detonated was a hydrogen bomb.

A report submitted to the U.N. Security Council Friday said that North Korea had earned $200 million last year in violation of sanctions and that China and Russia hadn’t stopped some exports from North Korea, according to the BBC.