For over a decade, the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea has detailed how Pyongyang employs a range of tactics to flaunt the international sanctions regime against the country, providing evidence to support new designations and ensure enforcement.

But now, with the 16th iteration of its biannual report expected sometime this March, several former members say that a key vacancy on the eight-person panel threatens to seriously undercut its ability to shed light on the shadowy financial networks that fund Kim Jong Un’s nuclear and missile weapons programs.