S. Korea imposes sanctions on 11 vessels over N. Korea's illegal ship

This Oct. 28, 2018, photo, published in a March 2019 report by the U.N. Security Council committee on North Korea sanctions, shows an illegal transfer on the high seas between a foreign vessel and North Korean tanker Yuk Tung. Yonhap

South Korea on Wednesday imposed independent sanctions on 11 vessels and five individuals and entities engaged in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other products to North Korea, tightening the sanctions against the North's maritime activities.

The latest sanctions designation is part of South Korea's efforts to discourage the North's illicit procurement of resources and financing that are used to fund its nuclear and missile programs, the foreign ministry said.

It also marks the first designation of sanctions on ships by the South Korean government in nearly eight years, the ministry said.

The 11 vessels under sanctions are the Nam Dae Bong (formerly Diamond 8), New Konk, Unica, Xing Ming Yang 888, Subblic, A Bong 1 (formerly Heng Xing), Kyong Song 3 (formerly Anni), Liton, A Sa Bong (formerly Hai Jun), Gold Star and Athena.

The vessels are suspected of involvement in the transshipment with North Korean ships, smuggling refined oil and coal into the North and supplying, selling and transferring goods to and from the North.

All the vessels have been specified in the U.N. Panel of Experts reports from the Security Council sanctions committee on North Korea. The panel has recommended seven of them be added to the U.N. sanctions list.

South Korea is the first country to sanction all the vessels but the New Konk and Unica. The two were sanctioned by the European Union in 2022.

The sanctions also apply to two North Koreans. Pak Kyong-ran, an employee of the Korea Paek Sol Trading Corp., is suspected of purchasing used vessels and bringing in refined oil into North Korea.

The second individual, Min Myong-hak, an executive at Risang Trading, is allegedly involved in the sending of North Korean workers and ship-to-ship transfers.

Along with Risang Trading, Mangang Trading Co. and Yua Trading were designated as the three entities subject to the sanctions.

The sanctions require special approval from South Korean authorities to enter a port in the country. The individuals and entities are banned from any financial or foreign currency transactions unless they obtain prior approval from the central bank or financial regulator.

North Korea has long engaged in the transport of petroleum and related products, exports of coal and smuggling of goods via ships to evade multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions banning the regime from any such activities in response to its weapons programs.

Wednesday's designation of sanctions marks the 15th of its kind by the Yoon Suk Yeol government. (Yonhap)