South Korea sanctions 7 North Koreans, 2 Russian ships for UNSC resolution violations

The South Korean government on Friday imposed new unilateral sanctions on several North Koreans and a pair of Russian ships involved in suspected arms transactions between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk speaks during a briefing at the ministry building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 7. [NEWS1]

The South Korean government on Friday imposed new unilateral sanctions on several North Koreans and a pair of Russian ships involved in suspected arms transactions between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

“Seven North Korean individuals and two Russian ships involved in the procurement of materials and funds for North Korea’s nuclear and missile development through the transportation of military supplies, arms trade between North Korea and Russia, import of refined oil into North Korea and foreign currency earning of North Korean overseas workers have been designated as targets of sanctions,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said in a press release Friday.

Rim Yong-hyok, one of the seven individuals designated as a target of sanctions, was involved in arms deals between Pyongyang and Moscow as a representative of the Korea Mining and Development Trading Corporation in Syria, the Foreign Ministry said.

The UN Security Council’s expert panel monitoring sanctions against North Korea also stated in its annual report published in March that it had intercepted information that Rim had negotiated with a Russian member of the Wagner Group to facilitate the transfer of arms between North Korea and Russia.

Han Hyok-chol, head of Taeryong Trading Corporation based in Vladivostok, was designated a target of sanctions on charges of being involved in importing Russian diesel oil into North Korea. Under Resolution 2397, adopted by the UN Security Council in 2017, UN member states are prohibited from exporting more than 4 million barrels of crude oil or 500,000 barrels of refined oil to the North annually.

Five other individuals, Kim Jong-gil, Jang Ho-yong, Ri Kyong-sik, Ri yong-min and Park Kwang-hyok, are believed to have worked illegally at IT companies in Vladivostok to earn foreign currency to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.

Russian ships Maia-1 and Maria were designated as targets of sanctions for carrying large quantities of containers and transporting military supplies between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The Foreign Ministry repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of illegal military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, saying, “North Korea-Russia arms deals and other military cooperation are a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and pose a serious threat to peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but around the world.”

“These new sanctions were made in close cooperation with friendly countries of South Korea, and it is expected that they will contribute to further strengthening the international community’s sanctions network,” said the Foreign Ministry.

Previously on April 2, Seoul sanctioned two Russian ships, two Russian companies and two Russian individuals involved in transporting military supplies to North Korea and moving North Korean workers overseas.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]