( CNN ) -- As Panamanian authorities work to unravel the details surrounding a detained North Korea-flagged cargo ship suspected of carrying military equipment , here 's a look at reported seizures of North Korean arms and weapons : . 2012 . May . A North Korea shipment of weapons , primarily missile parts , believed to be bound for Syria on a Chinese-flagged ship was intercepted at the Pusan port in South Korean and impounded , Japanese and South Korea media reported , citing unnamed diplomats . The parts , according to reports , were marked with DPRK , the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea . August . A North Korea shipment of materials suitable for uranium enrichment bound for Myanmar was seized by Japanese authorities at a Tokyo port , Asahi Shimbun reported . The shipment , according to the Japanese news agency , included the type of metal pipes and aluminum alloy bars that are needed for centrifuges . 2010 . February . Ukrainian authorities boarded the Chong Chon Gang at the port in Oktyasbrk , where customs officials seized drugs and ammunition , according to the Crimean News Agency , citing maritime officials . 2009 . August . The United Arab Emirates seized a cargo ship at its port in Dubai that authorities say was carrying North Korean weapons bound for Iran , according to state-run media accounts at the time . November . South Africa intercepts a shipment of guns , ammunition and tank parts in Durban that officials say were bound from North Korea to the Republic of Congo . The seizure of the weapons , which were in containers lined with sacks of rice , was made public in February 2010 by The Wall Street Journal . The paper obtained a copy of the South African report to the U.N. Security Council . That same month , Greek authorities seized a North Korean shipment of 14,000 chemical weapons suits , worn for protection during a chemical attack , bound for Syria . The seizure was made public in 2011 when Greece reported it to the Security Council . December . Authorities in Thailand seized a cargo plane loaded with North Korean weapons , including rocket-propelled grenades , bound for Iran . The seizure was made public in January 2010 after Thai authorities filed a report with the Security Council . 2002 . December . A North Korea cargo vessel bound for Yemen was intercepted by Spanish authorities in the Gulf of Aden , where authorities seized Scud missiles hidden under sack of cement , according to published accounts at the time . Yemen later demanded delivery of the cargo .
In 2010 , Japanese authorities seized what they said was materials for uranium enrichment . South Africa tells the U.N. that it seized North Korean weapons bound for the Congo . In 2002 , a North Korean ship is intercepted in the Gulf of Aden carrying Scud missiles .