Toxic connection: North Korea's chemical weapons link to Syria

This week's revelation of two North Korean shipments suspected to be chemical weapons and intercepted on their way to Syria may be just the latest sign of Pyongyang's hand in the Syrian regime's chemical arsenal.

According to a confidential United Nations report, first revealed by Reuters on Tuesday, the two shipments were intercepted at an unspecified time during the past six months. The report, presented to the UN Security Council by the UN's 'Panel of Experts' on North Korea, did not detail when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

However, it did reveal that the shipments were destined for a Syrian government entity known as the Scientific Studies and Research Centre, which has overseen the country's chemical weapons programme since the 1970s.

Neither the North Korean nor the Syrian permanent missions to the United Nations responded to FRANCE 24's request for comment on the report's allegations.

Pyongyang's chemical stockpile

North Korea has long been known to have a sizeable stockpile of chemical weapons, but recent developments suggest that its arsenal is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and deadly.

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