North Asia

Since 2018, New Zealand has deployed maritime patrol aircraft and personnel to North Asia in support of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

Maritime surveillance patrols detect and deter sanctions evasion activities such as ship-to-ship transfers of illicit goods at sea. Pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea is an important part of New Zealand’s strong stance on nuclear non-proliferation.

In June 2022, the mandate for this deployment was extended for two years and will be reviewed again by September 2024.