On Friday, South Korea and Japan declared a series of sanctions against persons, entities and ships believed to be involved in the purchase of weapons by Russia from North Korea which violates resolutions passed by the UN Security Council.
The South Korean foreign ministry revealed that North Korea had six of its citizens blacklisted while two Russian vessels were sanctioned for their roles in facilitating arms sales between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Moreover, seven North Koreans and two Russian ships were placed under sanctions for engaging in arms trafficking between Russia and North Korea contrary to United Nations resolutions on this matter says the ministry.
North Korea has been accused by both the United States and South Korea as being responsible for supplying weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine during an ongoing conflict. This notwithstanding, both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these allegations thus promising to strengthen military cooperation last year.
Japan also announced measures against 11 groups as well as one individual including Russian enterprises alleged to be involved in military cooperation supporting Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. After that, Chief Cabinet Secretary said: “Russia’s procurement of arms from North Korea violates relevant UN resolutions that completely ban the transfer of arms or related materials to or from North Korea.”
According to South Korean Foreign Ministry based on an annual report by the panel of experts monitoring DPRK released today, a representative of a state-owned firm was engaged in talks with a Wagner Group member between 2022-23 as part of efforts aimed at promoting weapons trade.
In addition, they accuse one man from Russia-based company who transported diesel fuel into the DPRK thereby violating UN Security Council resolutions. The ministry identified five IT workers among them who earned money overseas enabling them help raise funds for nuclear programs development.
Last month, Moscow called Seoul’s sanctions against Russians “an unfriendly move” warning about possible retaliation. Since 2006 there has been multiple rounds of UN sanctions imposed on North Korea due to range ballistic missile tests and nuclear activities only getting tougher over time. Early this year, the mandate for monitoring North Korean sanctions by UN experts was not renewed following Russian veto leading to alternative measures sought out by the United States and its allies.
