Seoul Imposes Sanctions On N. Korea For Illegal Ship-To-Ship Transfers

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- 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, the first of its kind in eight years, Yonhap News Agency reported.
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 marks the first designation of sanctions on ships by the South Korean government since 2016, according to the ministry.
The 11 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, it added.
All the vessels have been specified in the UN Panel of Experts reports from the Security Council sanctions committee on North Korea.
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 UN Security Council sanctions banning the regime from any such activities in response to its weapons programs. (end)
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