North Korea is one of the world’s most secretive major exporters of small arms such as including Kalashnikovs, rockets and machine guns, according to a report of experts in Geneva. The Small Arms Survey Trade Update 2017 survey states that among 55 percent of nations who trade in small arms, the USD 6 billion market remains a murky industry in which weapons find their way into the hands of terrorists or are used by states to carry out human rights abuses.

The survey singles out North Korea along with nations such as Saudi Arabia and Iran on transparency of small arms. "The five least transparent major small arms exporters are: Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. These states do not provide information on their small arms exports to Comtrade or the UN Register,” the survey states.

"North Korea has received a score of 0 in every edition of the Transparency Barometer to date. It has never provided information on its small arms exports to Comtrade or the UN Register.30 In 2013, Comtrade recorded the highest value for North Korean small arms exports: USD 300,000," it says.