US wants UN sanctions on seven vessels over North Korea exports
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting Korean People's Army soldiers at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Nov 1.
PHOTO: AFP
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- The US will ask the UN to sanction seven ships for violating North Korea sanctions, aiming to cut off funding for nuclear and missile programmes.
- Sanctions on North Korea, in place since 2006, ban exports and cap imports; however, Russia and China may block the new measures.
- The US warns that failing to enforce sanctions would render them "meaningless", allowing North Korea's weapons programmes to advance.
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UNITED NATIONS, United States - The United States will in the coming days ask a UN Security Council committee to impose sanctions on seven ships suspected of violating UN sanctions on North Korea, a State Department official said on Nov 3.
The seven vessels have illegally exported North Korean coal and iron ore to China, which traditionally earns Pyongyang between US$200 million and US$400 million (S$260 million and S$500 million) a year, said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“These nominations are not just bureaucratic exercises. They’re about ensuring accountability for UN sanctions violations and stopping exports that directly fund North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes,” the official said.
However, the Security Council’s 15-member sanctions committee operates by consensus and it was not immediately clear if North Korea’s friends, Russia and China, would agree.
The Russian and Chinese missions to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
North Korea has been under UN sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes since 2006. Those measures have unanimously been strengthened over the years, but the council is now deadlocked as China and Russia push for them to be eased to convince Pyongyang to return to denuclearisation talks.
Among the Security Council sanctions are a ban on North Korean exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and caps on imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.
The Security Council can impose an asset freeze on a ship, ban it from entering ports and require the ship’s country of registration to “de-flag” the vessel.
The United States has signalled for months that it would propose new vessels for designation at the United Nations, but it was unclear why it had chosen to act now.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has ignored overtures from US President Donald Trump, who wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and has dramatically advanced its missile and conventional military capabilities.
“If there are no consequences for violations, sanctions risk becoming meaningless, and threats to international peace and security like the DPRK nuclear and ballistic missile programs will continue to grow unchecked,” said the State Department official, referring to the country’s formal name - the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. REUTERS
