As illegal ship-to-ship transfers that were previously common in the West Sea of North Korea are now being detected in the East Sea, the South Korean government stated its commitment to cooperate with the international community in taking necessary measures against North Korea’s evasion of sanctions.
Based on satellite images taken by private satellite company Airbus that were made public on Google Earth, Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 4th that two large vessels that measured 475 feet and 328 feet long respectively, were captured facing each other off the coast of Wonsan in North Korea.
Black objects, which seem to be coal, were loaded in the ship’s cargo hold, and a crane attached to one ship extended over the cargo hold of the other ship. This is believed to be the process of transferring coal.
VOA pointed out that despite the presence of several docks within a 0.6-mile radius of the location of the ships, they are conducting a high-risk operation in the middle of the sea, suggesting that it is not a normal sight.
While the exact situation cannot be determined from the satellite images alone, the fact that these ships are exchanging black objects believed to be coal raises suspicions of a ship-to-ship transfer, as pointed out by the UN Security Council.
Moreover, it is noteworthy that such movement was detected in the East Sea rather than the West Sea, which the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee’s Panel of Experts identified as a transfer location for North Korea. This is because North Korea and Russia have major ports for trading weapons, coal, and fuel clustered in the East Sea and the Far East region of Russia on top of the recently strengthening cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
The White House pointed out that North Korea and Russia have been shipping containers loaded with military equipment and ammunition at Najin Port in North Korea’s East Sea since last year.
In 2017, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2375, Article 11, which prevents any ship representing North Korea from receiving any goods. Regardless of what goods the two ships exchanged, it is a violation of the sanctions.
Regarding this, Deputy Spokesperson Lim Soo Suk of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a briefing that day, “The government is continuously monitoring and enforcing activities in the maritime sector where North Korea’s sanctions evasion frequently occurs based on the fundamental position that the UN Security Council’s resolution on North Korea sanctions must be strictly implemented.”
Lim added, “The government will continue to take necessary measures in cooperation with the international community in response to violations of sanctions such as illegal maritime activities, while closely monitoring the implementation of the North Korea sanctions resolution.”