Violating UN’s Resolution
The Donald Trump administration named additional targets of its North Korea sanctions for the third time this month alone. The new targets are two Russian shipping companies and six ships, and one of the ships is currently at anchor in South Korea.
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on them on August 21, claiming that they violated a UN Security Council resolution by conducting oil transshipment. Specifically, they include Primorye Maritime Logistics, Gudzon Shipping, the Sevastopol and the Patriot.
According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, the merchant vessels conducted ship-to-ship oil transshipment for North Korea twice this year and the oil was purchased by Taesong Bank of Room 39, which is a foreign currency vault of the North Korean Labor Party under U.S. and UN sanctions.
According to MarineTraffic, which provides real-time information on the movements and current locations of ships, four out of the six Russian ships visited ports in South Korea on several occasions. For example, the Sevastopol entered Pohang, Busan, and so on at least 11 times this year alone, allegedly for ship repair purposes.
In the meantime, the South Korean government is currently detaining three ships, such as the Lighthouse Winmore, for involvement in coal transshipment for North Korea. The government is said to be mulling over taking the same action against the Sevastopol.