Burma and North Korea have discretely maintained their military ties, despite the Southeast Asian nation’s claims of a ceased arms trade with Pyongyang, an NK News investigation has found.

These methods include front companies and North Korean ships’ use of national flags other than their own nation’s when sailing in Burmese waters. Officially, Burma and the North maintain diplomatic ties, but a U.S. effort to open up and reform the Southeast Asian country, for decades a military dictatorship, aimed to sever the North from one of its most dedicated customers in the arms trade.

Though Burma is no longer a