UN experts: North Korea continues to evade UN sanctions

UNITED NATIONS – U.N. experts say North Korea is continuing to evade U.N. sanctions, using airlines, ships, and the international financial system to trade in prohibited items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The experts monitoring sanctions against the North says Pyongyang also continues to export ballistic missile-related items to the Middle East and trade in arms and related material to Africa.

A summary of the panel's report, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, says one reason North Korea is able to evade sanctions is "the low level of implementation" of U.N. sanctions by the 193 U.N. member states.

The report was sent to the U.N. Security Council, which has pledged to adopt "significant new measures" following the country's fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch on Sunday.