South Korea’s Foreign Ministry working in conjunction with the Finance Ministry and others is imposing sanctions on two vessels and a Hong Kong-based shipping company over alleged violations of UN Security Council resolutions banning trade with North Korea. The move follows South Korea’s detaining one of the ships earlier this year and according to government officials is part of a wider effort to increase enforcement of the deterrents imposed against North Korea.
The action is the latest in a series of tensions between the two countries. The two Koreas continue to trade barbs while recently it was reported that North Korea was flying unmanned balloons carrying trash into the south.
South Korea in March detained a vessel, the De Yi (6,700 dwt) which at the time it accused of being a stateless ship. Reports said the crew initially refused to stop the vessel but later the South Korean Coast Guard was able to redirect it to an anchorage off Busan. The Chinese captain and crew were not cooperating with the investigation and initially, it was said, they refused to open the vessel’s hatches.
In a statement released today announcing the sanctions, South Korea’s government said it has concluded that the De Yi had transshipped and transported North Korean coal from the North Korean-flagged ship Deokseong (also known as Tok Song). The De Yi remains detained in South Korea while the crew was released after the investigation. A second unrelated vessel was also detained in June on a suspicion of sanction violations.
During a briefing for the Korean media, government officials said they determined the De Yi departed China on March 18 but turned off its AIS transmissions. They believe the ship had been transporting machinery and electronic equipment that was transferred to an unnamed North Korean ship. The De Yi later met up with the North Korean vessel Tok Song and received 4,500 tons of North Korean anthracite coal in a ship-to-ship transfer carried out in international waters. Media reports said that when they stopped the De Yi it was bound for Vladivostok, Russia, although Korean officials said they are still investigating the destination.
The De Yi is owned by a Hong Kong-based company HK Yilin Shipping. As of tomorrow, South Korea is sanctioning the company for violations of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting companies from aiding North Korea in exporting coal, iron ore, and other mineral resources.
The Tok Song (14,000 dwt) is also being sanctioned. South Korea believes the vessel is regularly being used in violation of the sanctions. It is being listed however for having been exported to North Korea. Built in 2009, it was previously known as the Hong Tai 215 and the Li Da 8, and transferred to North Korea between 2021 and 2023. South Korea cites UN Security Council prohibitions on supplying, selling, and transferring new or used vessels to North Korea.
The South Korean media service Yonhap is reporting that 47 ships came and went over a six-month period transferring coal and other items in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The South Korean government said it continues to consult with the U.S., Japan, and other countries about the possibility of an enhanced system to monitor the implementation of the sanctions.
