▲ A briefing is under way at the U.N. Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York on April 30, 2026, in this photo captured from U.N. Web TV. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

N Korea-sanctions evasion

S. Korea, U.S., other countries call for designation of vessels over N.K. sanctions breaches

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, the United States, the European Union's diplomatic service and eight other countries on Friday issued a joint statement calling for a U.N. panel to act swiftly to designate vessels accused of violating U.N. sanctions against North Korea.

The governments of South Korea, the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Britain and the European External Action Service issued the statement, demonstrating unity against the North's evasion of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions banning the export of its coal and iron ore.

They welcomed last month's briefing on Pyongyang's sanctions-evasion activities by the Open Source Centre, a non-profit entity using open data to study various issues.

"The evidence presented -- including vessel imagery, voyage reconstruction, Automatic Identification System manipulation, and port call analysis -- indicates clear violations of obligations under Security Council resolutions prohibiting the export of DPRK coal and iron ore," they said of the briefing.

DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The governments also took note of the "clear evidence" related to the seven vessels, which were nominated to the UNSC 1718 Committee in December for sanctions designation, and called on the committee to "act swiftly" to designate the vessels.

Established in 2006 by UNSC Resolution 1718 in response to North Korea's first nuclear test, the committee oversees relevant sanctions against North Korea.

"Under U.N. Security Council resolution 1718, paragraph 12, the committee is mandated to examine and take appropriate action on information regarding violations and to strengthen implementation of the measures it oversees," they said.

"Prompt designations are essential to preserving the credibility and effectiveness of the U.N. sanctions regime."

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