It also says the North Koreans selected at least one contractor with connections to its missile program. It’s likely — though no evidence directly proves it — that the money bought missile components or weapons of some kind. The sum was $50K, which probably pales next to how much the Kumgang project paid into the missile fund.

Finally, NK used UN-only accounts to send funds abroad, and for the reasons stated above, I suspect (but have no evidence to prove) that NK was out to procure prohibited items, possibly WMD related.

On the other hand, this WaPo piece really wants to justify the NK deception, leading off with the NK excuse of blaming it on Bush’s Axis of Evil speech. How lame, but not surprising given the generally poor quality of the WaPo’s coverage on NK.

What I am wondering is what is the US Congress going to do about it? Cut portions of US funding to the UN for example?