North Korea reportedly exported 100-million dollars worth of weapons last year.

A South Korean source familiar with North Korean affairs said Monday that Pyongyang sold the weapons to the Middle East and Africa.

The source added that North Korean authorities used the money reaped from such exports to strengthen the North’s military might and renovate the residences of leader Kim Jong-il.

During the 1980s’ Iran-Iraq War, Pyongyang made billions of dollars through the sale of arms. Since then, its export volume of weapons has been on a continuous decline.

In particular, the imposition of U.N. sanctions that came after the North’s nuclear test in October 2006 has taken a huge bite out of the country’s weapons export profits.