NHK reported that a UN panel of experts have drafted a report pointing out that North Korea has earned about 30 billion yen by evading sanctions and exporting coal to Malaysia and Vietnam since the Chinese government announced in February that it would stop importing coal from North Korea until the end of this year in accordance with the UNSC resolutions. The panel reportedly warns in the report that while sanctions against North Korea are expanding, North Korea is increasingly evading sanctions. The panel also said it is investigating North Korean nationals who are suspected of actively engaging in surface-to-air missile deals and other illegal activities in the Middle East and Africa, especially in Syria.