South Korea, G7, and EU to Urge China to "Stop North Korea's Oil Smuggling"

An expanded meeting of the 8th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party, presided over by North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, was held at the Central Committee headquarters from June 16 to 18, according to a report by Korean Central TV on June 19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

South Korea, the Group of Seven (G7), and the European Union (EU) are reportedly planning to urge China to prevent North Korea from violating United Nations (UN) sanctions through its territorial waters.

According to major foreign media on the 21st (local time), the G7, EU member countries, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand are set to send a letter to Zhang Jun, China's ambassador to the UN, expressing concern that "there are still several tankers using China's territorial waters near Sansha Bay as a refuge to facilitate sanctioned oil product transactions entering North Korea."

Sansha Bay is a sea area near a Chinese port in the northeastern part of Fujian Province, China.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions related to nuclear and missile development since 2006, and in 2017, sanctions were expanded to include annual import limits on refined oil and crude oil.

However, G7 member countries and others believe that the practice of allowing North Korea to violate sanctions within Chinese territorial waters has continued this year following last year. They are also expected to present satellite images as evidence.