United States Wants U.N. To Sanction 7 Ships For Exporting North Korean Coal & Iron Ore To China

The U.S has urged a U.N. Security Council Committee to impose sanctions on 7 ships suspected of violating U.N. sanctions on North Korea, per a state department official.

The 7 ships were illegally exporting North Korean coal and iron ore to China, which earns Pyongyang $200 million and $400 million a year, according to a U.S state official.

The official also stated that this move is also about ensuring accountability for U.N. sanctions and preventing exports that fund North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The Security Council’s 15-member sanctions committee functions with consensus. It is not clear if North Korea’s allies, Russia and China, would agree to this move.

U.N. sanctions were placed on North Korea for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2006. Those measures have strengthened over the years, but the council is being pressured as China and Russia want these sanctions to be eased.

Among the sanctions are a ban on North Korean exports of coal, lead, iron, seafood, textiles and caps on imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

North Korea has ignored these developments and comments from U.S President Donald Trump, who wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The UN Security Council can impose an asset freeze on a vessel, ban it from entering ports and require the ship’s country of registration to deflag it.

The U.S State Department Official, on condition of anonymity, said that if there are no consequences for violations, sanctions become meaningless and threats to peace and security, like North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, will continue to grow unchecked.

Source: Maritime Shipping News