• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

2ND ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES (a.k.a.)
CHE 2 CHAYON KWAHAKWON (a.k.a.)
ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES (a.k.a.)
CHAYON KWAHAK-WON (a.k.a.)
NATIONAL DEFENSE ACADEMY (a.k.a.)
KUKPANG KWAHAK-WON (a.k.a.)
SECOND ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE (a.k.a.)
SANSRI (a.k.a.)

The National Defense Institute, also referred to as the 2nd Natural Science Institute, the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Academy of Defense Sciences, is located in Yongseung District in Pyongyang. The Second Academy of Natural Sciences is “a national-level organization responsible for research and development of the DPRK’s advanced weapons systems, including missiles and probably nuclear weapons.

The Second Academy of Natural Sciences uses a number of subordinateorganizations to obtain technology, equipment, and information from overseas, including Tangun Trading Corporation, for use in the DPRK’s missile and probably nuclear weapons programs. Tangun Trading Corporation was designated by the Committee in July 2009 and is primarily responsible for the procurement of commodities and technologies to support DPRK’s defense research and development programs, including, but not limited to, weapons of mass destruction and delivery system programs and procurement, including materials that are controlled or prohibited under relevant multilateral control regimes.”

SANS uses a number of subordinate organizations to obtain technology, equipment, and information from overseas for use in North Korea's missile and probably nuclear weapons programs. SANS is subordinate to MID. SANS was sanctioned pursuant to E.O. 13382 and by the UN under UNSCR 2094 in 2013.

North Korea relies on foreign-sourced ballistic missile-related components that it cannot produce domestically. To obtain these components, North Korea uses an extensive overseas network of procurement agents, including officials who operate from North Korean diplomatic missions or trade offices, as well as thirdcountry nationals and foreign companies. In recent years, the United States has sanctioned multiple North Korean nationals operating abroad and acting on behalf of the North Korean designated ballistic missile entities.

For example, OFAC in July 2019 designated Kim Su Il, an individual acting in Vietnam on behalf of the Munitions Industry Department. On January 24, 2018, OFAC designated ten Korea Ryonbong General Corporation representatives based mainly in China and Russia, including one official identified as the vice consul of the North Korean consulate in Nakhodka, Russia, underscoring the key role that North Korean diplomats and foreign-posted North Korean procurement representatives play in sanctions evasion and ballistic missile-related procurement. North Korean officials accredited as diplomats to one country have also been detected attempting to acquire sensitive technology in neighboring countries.

In 2013, the debris from a December 2012 DPRK rocket launch included components such as sensors, pressure switches, wire cables, and other electronic devices, some of which were foreign made. The investigation into the supply chain that procured some of the components described above indicates that they were procured indirectly through multiple intermediaries.16 Most of these components do not meet the thresholds of the UNSCR control lists—or national export control lists—and are widely available from overseas distributors.