U.S. seized DPRK ship accused of violating UN sanctions

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The United States has for the first time seized a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s cargo ship it accused of illicit coal shipments in violation of U.S. and United Nations sanctions, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday.

The ship, known as the "Wise Honest," was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018. Under an unusual U.S. civil forfeiture action, the vessel is now in the possession of the United States and is currently approaching U.S. territorial waters heading toward American Samoa, U.S. Justice Department officials said.

The announcement comes after the DPRK fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday, its second such test in less than a week.

The United States filed its seizure warrant for the ship under seal in July 2018, but department officials said the timing of its unsealing on Thursday was unrelated to the missile launches.

"There is no connection at all between the recent activities by North Korea (DPRK),” said Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. “We have been pursuing this for months.”

A missile is seen launched during a military drill in the DPRK, in this May 10, 2019 photo supplied by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). /Reuters Photo‍

The Justice Department said in a statement that the "Wise Honest" was used by Korea Songi Shipping Company, which is accused of paying U.S. dollars through unwitting U.S. financial institutions – in violation of U.S. laws – for improvements, equipment purchases, and service expenditures for the vessel.

"Payments totaling more than 750,000 dollars were transmitted through accounts at a U.S. financial institution in connection with the March 2018 shipment of coal on board the Wise Honest,” the statement said.

The DPRK's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously strengthened sanctions on DPRK since 2006 in a bid to choke funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, banning exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and capping imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

(Cover: An undated surveillance image provided in a U.S. Department of Justice complaint about forfeiture released May 9, 2019 shows what is described as the DPRK's vessel Wise Honest being loaded with coal in Nampo, the DPRK. /Reuters Photo)

Source(s): Reuters