US Launches Website for Reporting North Korea Sanctions Violations... Up to $5.5 Billion Compensation

Special Deputy Representative for North Korea: "China Clearly Violates Obligations to Enforce Sanctions on North Korea"
Criticism of Attempts to Undermine UN Sanctions
"North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program, etc., Are Obstacles to Economic Development"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Department of State has launched a website where information on North Korea's sanctions violations can be easily reported.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Alex Wong, U.S. Department of State Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, announced this on the 1st (local time) during his keynote speech at an online seminar hosted by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on the topic of "North Korea's Economic Outlook Post-Pandemic."

The State Department opened a new website (www.dprkrewards.com) on the same day to handle reports of North Korean sanctions evasion. Deputy Representative Wong explained that rewards of up to 5 million USD (approximately 5.5 billion KRW) will be offered.

This is the same reward amount offered for information on North Korean sanctions violations presented on the Department of State's "Rewards for Justice" website, which is a terrorism information reporting and reward program.

Deputy Representative Wong criticized China for clearly violating its obligation to enforce international sanctions against North Korea.

He pointed out that "Chinese authorities have not taken measures to prevent illegal imports," and that blatant exchanges are taking place with the tacit approval of the authorities.

He noted that although North Korea-China trade sharply declined after the United Nations passed its strongest sanctions resolutions against North Korea in 2017, a significant amount of illegal unreported trade is still occurring.

Deputy Representative Wong emphasized, "We all want North Korea's economic improvement," but stressed that this is not disconnected from other goals and must be achieved alongside resolving security issues.

He pointed out that the biggest obstacle to North Korea's economic development is the regime's programs to produce nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the means to transport those weapons worldwide.