South Korea has imposed its own independent sanctions on ships for the first time since 2016. Two individuals and three organizations that supported North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, engaged in sea transshipment, import and smuggling of oil to North Korea, were also sanctioned.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that North Korea had imported 780,000 barrels of refined oil by April 2023, 1.5 times the annual limit.
Ten of the eleven vessels sanctioned are oil tankers, built mainly in the 80s of the last century.
Sanctions have been imposed on the following vessels:
- NAM DAE BONG (IMO 9132612) – Oil Products Tanker
- NEW KONK (IMO 9036387) – Oil Products Tanker
- UNICA (IMO 8514306) – Oil Products Tanker
- XING MING YANG 888 (IMO 8410847) – Oil Products Tanker
- UBBLIC (IMO 8126082) – Oil Products Tanker
- A BONG 1 (IMO 8669589) – Oil Products Tanker
- KYONG SONG 3 (IMO 8356584) – a General Cargo Ship
- LITON (IMO 8346395) – Oil Products Tanker
- A SA BONG (IMO 9054896) – Oil Products Tanker
- GOLD STAR (IMO 9146247) – Oil Products Tanker
- ATHENA (IMO 9063811) – Oil Products Tanker
