Coal smuggling: Beijing allegedly helping Kim circumvent U.N. sanctions

Imposed by the international community for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile activities. North Korean merchant ship bound for a Chinese port tracked. China obstructs monitoring operations carried out under UN auspices.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - North Korea is reportedly smuggling coal to China by sea in violation of U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile activities. This was revealed by an investigation by Nikkei Asia, which was able to track the movements of a North Korean merchant ship by cross-referencing satellite data and its automatic identification system. 

Kim Jong-un's regime is isolated from the international community (except China and to some extent Russia), subjected to punitive measures decided by the UN Security Council, of which Beijing is a permanent member. The country is grappling with a chronic economic crisis, aggravated by a recent spate of Covid-19 infections and a series of floods.

Despite al of this, Pyongyang continues to pursue its military program: as suspected by many, it is most likely also financed by Chinese purchases. The coal delivery would show that Beijing is helping the North Koreans circumvent international sanctions.

The facts examined by Nikkei Asia date back to August 2021. The Tae Phyong 2 departed the North Korean port of Nampo on the Yellow Sea on August 8 or 9 loaded with coal. It then docked at the Chinese port of Longkou (Shandong) on the 13th and departed empty on the 21st.

Last March, a group of U.N. experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions on North Korea had called attention to the movements of the Tae Phyong 2. The Chinese defended themselves by claiming that the ship had entered the port of Longkou empty, then loaded up with fertilizer and other agricultural supplies. A satellite image taken by Airbus on April 4 shows another North Korean freighter reaching Shandong port from Nampo, detailing a dark substance being unloaded.

According to data obtained by Nikkei Asia, 180 freighters suspected of violating the sanctions regime against North Korea have been identified from January 2021 to date. Of these, 37 have docked in Longkou for several days; another 20 have stopped at ports in Liaoning and Hebei that usually handle large volumes of coal.

The investigation into the Tae Phyong 2 sheds new light on the interference of Chinese military fighter jets in the air operations of countries called upon to verify compliance with sanctions against Pyongyang. The latest case emerged earlier this month, when Global News reported that several times since late 2021 Beijing Air Force jets have flown extremely close to Canadian patrol aircraft near North Korea, jeopardizing U.N. monitoring efforts.

• north korea
• china
• beijing
• pyongyang
• kim jong-un
• sanctions
• economy
• nuclear
• missiles
• coal