North Korea has been titled one of the least-transparent exporters of small arms by the Swedish research institute. /Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

North Korea has been labeled one of the least-transparent exporters of small arms, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Small Arms Survey.

The Swedish research institute assessed 49 countries that exported small arms and light weapons worth more than $10 million from 2001 to 2013.

It gave each country scores between zero and 25 based on seven parameters, including number of legitimate export licenses, clarity of export reports and access and consistency in reporting.

The four states scored zero in the test.

"These countries severely lack transparency in exporting small arms," the institute said. "They refused to provide related information about the trade."

The institute identified the Netherlands as the most transparent exporter this year. The United States ranked 15th, followed by South Korea (29th) and China (41st).