"Stop Illegal Cooperation with North Korea"…Government Imposes Independent Sanctions on Russian Ships, Organizations, and Individuals

Russian Ship Involved in Transporting North Korean Military Supplies
Sanctions Imposed on Agency and Representative Assisting North Korean Worker Dispatch
Government: "Russia Must Cease Illegal Cooperation"

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin are smiling at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia, on September 13 last year (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government has designated Russian vessels, organizations, and individuals involved in transporting military supplies to North Korea and sending overseas workers as targets of independent sanctions. Amid the recent expiration of the UN Security Council's (UNSC) North Korea sanctions monitoring body's mandate due to Russia's veto, the government is responding with its own sanctions against Russia.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, "We have decided to designate two Russian vessels involved in transporting military supplies between Russia and North Korea in violation of UN Security Council sanctions, two Russian organizations, and two individuals involved in financing North Korea's nuclear and missile development through the dispatch of North Korean overseas workers, as targets of independent sanctions against North Korea, effective from the 3rd."

The two vessels designated for sanctions (LADY R, ANGARA) transported military supplies while carrying a large number of containers between Russia and North Korea.

The government pointed out that such military cooperation is an act that seriously threatens peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but worldwide, and is a clear violation of UNSC resolutions. According to the UNSC resolutions, the export and import of all weapons and related materials, including small arms, to and from North Korea are prohibited.

The government stated, "The government and the international community have continuously urged Russia and North Korea to immediately cease military cooperation," adding, "We are closely monitoring the possibility that Russia's compensation for North Korea's arms exports to Russia may violate UNSC resolutions or threaten our security, and will continue to consider additional measures if necessary."

The government also designated two Russian organizations and two individuals representing each organization involved in dispatching North Korean overseas workers, including IT personnel, as targets of sanctions.

Intellekt LLC and its representative, Sergey Mikhailovich Kozlov, designated for sanctions, provided necessary identification documents for North Korean IT personnel to operate within Russia, thereby assisting the foreign currency earning activities of North Korea's National Defense Science Institute.

Additionally, Sodeistvie and its representative, Aleksandr Fyodorovich Panfilov, were involved in dispatching North Korean workers to Russia by supporting their entry and stay in Russia through illicit means.

According to UNSC resolutions, all UN member states must repatriate North Korean workers within their territories. However, Russia frequently violates this requirement.

A UN Security Council North Korea Sanctions Committee panel report published on the 21st of last month revealed that over the past two years, there have been approximately 250 court records indicating illegal employment of North Korean workers by Russian employers. Among these, at least four cases involved the issuance of work permits to North Korean workers.

In particular, the panel obtained information that a construction company in Khabarovsk employs at least 58 North Korean workers.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un supervised a large-caliber multiple rocket launcher firing drill at a western district artillery unit on the 18th of last month, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 19th of the same month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government emphasized, "We strongly urge Russia to immediately cease all illegal cooperation with North Korea, including military cooperation that violates UNSC resolutions, and to fulfill its obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," adding, "We will continue to respond strictly together with the international community."

The vessels designated for independent sanctions are recognized under the Ship Entry and Exit Act and other laws as ships requiring special management by the head of the national security agency for national security reasons when entering and leaving trade ports. The captains of these vessels must obtain domestic entry permission from the management authority to enter.

This independent sanction was imposed about five days after Russia exercised its veto on the 28th of last month (local time), resulting in the failure to extend the mandate of the expert panel that had monitored the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea for the past 15 years.

Concerns are rising that illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia will increase further once the expert panel's mandate officially ends at the end of this month. The government is expected to strengthen independent sanctions while establishing a separate North Korea sanctions monitoring system with the United States and others.