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The sanctions are part of a crackdown on smuggling of North Korean commodities in violation of UN sanctions resolutions.
The UN Security Council has blacklisted 27 ships, 21 companies and a businessman for helping North Korea breach sanctions, as the United States keeps up pressure on Pyongyang despite its recent overtures towards talks.
The sanctions were passed on a request from the US and they are part of a global crackdown on the smuggling of North Korean commodities in violation of UN sanctions resolutions, which were adopted in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The sanctions designations were approved as the US moves to open talks with North Korea on its nuclear drive, with a summit possible between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un by the end of May.
Despite the diplomatic opening, the US has made clear they will keep the pressure on Pyongyang to shift course by pressing on with sanctions.
"We want to thank the members of the Security Council, as well as Japan and South Korea, for working with us to keep up the pressure and for their commitment to implementing UN Security Council resolutions and holding violators accountable," Haley added on Friday.
Twenty-one shipping and trading firms were hit by an assets freeze. Three of them are based in Hong Kong including Huaxin Shipping, which delivered shipments of North Korean coal to Vietnam in October.
Twelve North Korean firms were blacklisted for running ships involved in illegal transfers of oil and fuel, according to the document.
Two other companies, Shanghai Dongfeng Shipping and Weihai World Shipping Freight, also based in China, were blacklisted for carrying North Korean coal on their vessels.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 02 2018, @05:45AM (2 children)
Probably already do. I've heard exciting tales of North Korean shenanigans involving subs already, going back to the Cold War. I doubt they could ship massive amounts of coal by sub though. That's a lot to maintain and risk just for coal. Here, the "businessman" and various smugglers involved probably were looking for quick bucks and didn't think they were risking that much. Maintaining a bunch of subs whose only purpose is to haul coal to North Korea is a very different game than getting a bunch of smugglers with cheap-ass ships to haul.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday April 02 2018, @06:25AM
Their torpedo split the ship's hull in two. It sunk instantly, killing a great many seamen.
I don't clearly recall when but is was somewhere around 2008.
Despite that, South Korea reacted about the same as it did when a North Korean nuke test resulted in a low-yield squib explosion. NK explained that they used explosives to dig a big hole for a sports stadium.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 02 2018, @08:37AM
You need to keep in mind that a "Hong Kong businessman" may not be Chinese. There were a number of N. Koreans doing business in mainland China, using the Chinese addresses and Chinese corporation laws to mask that they were N. Koreans. The same is very likely true of businesses acting on N. Korea's behalf in Hong Kong, or any other major trading center.
None of that precludes the possibility of an unethical Chinese businessman - or American, or any other nationality. All the greedy people see are dollar signs.