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North Korean News

01 Feb 2024

Kim Jong Un Inspects Shipyard

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a shipyard and underscored the importance of a strong naval force in "war preparations", state media KCNA said on Friday.Kim's visit is being made public after North Korea tested its new submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) on Sunday, firing an upgraded missile for the second time in a week and accelerating its navy's nuclear armament, according to state media."Strengthening naval force is the most important issue in pushing ahead with war preparations", KCNA cited Kim as saying during his visit to Nampho dockyard, a military shipbuilding base als

18 Dec 2023

Ingalls Authenticates Keel of Destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131)

Ingalls Structural Welder Morris Johnson welds the initials of Kelley Neal Gray onto the keel plate that will be permanently part of George M. Neal (DDG 131). (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has authenticated the keel of the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131).George M. Neal (DDG 131) is the fourth Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability including the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System…

08 Sep 2023

North Korea Is Growing Its Navy with Submarines and Nuclear Drones. But Why?

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Over the past year North Korea has moved to boost its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships, and its first operational missile submarine, unveiled on Friday.North Korea's navy has historically been dwarfed by the country's land forces, and overshadowed by its rapidly advancing ballistic missile program.Now, leader Kim Jong Un has said the navy will play a key role in the country's nuclear deterrence, and analysts say it may also assure support among naval commanders and boost national pride."Until quite recently…

14 Jun 2023

Russia Resumes Oil Exports to North Korea After Long Pause

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Russia resumed oil exports to North Korea in December, United Nations data shows, the first such shipments reported since 2020 as the two countries deepen ties and the United States flags the risk of arms supplies to Moscow.North Korea has been seeking closer relations with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, blaming what it called the "hegemonic policy" of the United States and the West.Russia had exported 67,300 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea by April, the first deliveries reported to the U.N.

31 May 2023

North Korea Missile Tests Endanger Shipping, IMO Warned

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North Korean missile tests are endangering the safety of commercial shipping in busy sea lanes in northeastern Asia without enough time given for notification, several countries told a UN agency on Wednesday.Nuclear-armed North Korea's sixth satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea, but it still prompted emergency alerts and evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan.A resolution adopted by a majority of over 100 countries attending the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) security committee…

24 Mar 2023

North Korea Tests New Nuclear-capable Underwater Drone

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North Korea has tested a new nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, state media reported on Friday, as leader Kim Jong Un warned joint military drills by South Korea and the U.S. should stop.During the test, the new North Korean drone cruised underwater at a depth of 80 to 150 metres (260-500 feet) for over 59 hours and detonated a non-nuclear payload in waters off its east coast on Thursday, North Korean state news agency KCNA said.Analysts say North Korea is showing off its increasingly diverse nuclear threats to Washington and Seoul…

13 Dec 2022

Smart Sanctions: West Targets P&I Clubs to Limit Russian Shipping

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The European Union and the United States are now targeting maritime protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance clubs to limit Russian shipping capacity and cap the price of its oil, meaning we’re finally beginning to see some smart sanctions for a stupid war.P&I clubs are maritime insurance groups that specialize in open-ended, large-risk claims. P&I insurance is a requirement for all heavy cargo and container vessels. Under the new sanctions, European P&I clubs can no longer offer insurance to a vessel carrying Russian oil at a price higher than $60 a barrel.Since February 2022…

25 Oct 2022

Two Koreas Exchange Warning Shots Near Sea Border

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North and South Korea exchanged warning shots off the west coast on Monday, accusing each other of breaching their maritime borders amid heightened military tension.The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to see off a North Korean merchant vessel that crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto sea boundary, at around 3:40 a.m. (1840 GMT Sunday).The North's military said it fired 10 rocket artillery rounds after a South…

24 Oct 2022

South Korea Issues Arrest Warrants Over Fisheries Official Slain by North

(File photo: Matthew S. Masaschi / U.S. Coast Guard)

A South Korean court on Saturday issued arrest warrants for a former defense minister and a former coast guard chief over their alleged mishandling of the death of a state fishery ministry employee at the hands of North Korean troops two years ago.The decision by the Seoul Central District Court, which cited risks of them fleeing or destroying evidence, came days after the prosecutors on Tuesday filed for arrest warrants and follows an investigation by the government that showed…

09 Oct 2022

US Sanctions Firms Transferring Oil to North Korean Ships at Sea

The United States on Friday imposed new sanctions following North Korea's latest missile launches this week, targeting a fuel procurement network that Washington said supports Pyongyang's weapons programs and its military.Friday's action targeted two Singapore-registered companies and a Marshall Islands-registered firm, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement, as Washington seeks to hold North Korea accountable for ship-to-ship transfers that circumvent United Nations sanctions on the country."By designating these entities and individuals, the United States is sending a clear message that we will continue to take actions against those who support the development and sustainment of the DPRK’s military and weapons arsenal," U.S.

06 Dec 2021

HII Begins Building Destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131)

Ingalls Burner specialist Jason Jackson, right, starts fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131) in the Ingalls Shipbuilding Steel Fabrication Shop, observed by Bob Poppenhouse, Ingalls DDG 131 ship program manager; Matt Park, general foreman for Ingalls Fabrication Shop; and Lance Carnahan, director of Ingalls Hull department. (Photo: HII)

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Monday officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131).“Start of fabrication is our first opportunity to formally celebrate and reflect on our contributions as shipbuilders,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “We are very proud of what we do here for the country and endeavor to do our part…

02 Aug 2021

US Says It Seized Tanker Used to Evade North Korea Sanctions

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of a 2,734-ton tanker it said was owned and operated by a Singaporean national and used to make shipments of petroleum products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions.A DoJ statement said the M/T Courageous was seized by Cambodian authorities in March 2020 in accordance with a U.S. warrant, having been used to transfer oil products to North Korean vessels and to make direct shipments to the North Korean port of Nampo."Criminal charges of conspiracy to evade economic sanctions on the DPRK and money laundering conspiracy are pending against the alleged owner and operator of the Courageous…

09 Dec 2020

U.S. Blacklists Companies, Ships Linked to North Korean Coal Exports

The United States has blacklisted six companies, including several based in China, and four ships accused of illicit exports of North Korean coal, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.The United Nations Security Council banned North Korean coal exports in 2017. The 15-member body has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."The DPRK (North Korea) continues to circumvent the U.N. prohibition on the exportation of coal, a key revenue generator that helps fund its weapons of mass destruction programs," U.S. Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement."The North Korean regime often uses forced labor from prison camps in its mining industries…

08 Dec 2020

US Targets Coal Shipments in Fresh N. Korea-related Sanctions

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The United States imposed new sanctions on six groups and four vessels related to the transport of North Korean coal on Thursday, including operations based in China, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday."The DPRK (North Korea) continues to circumvent the U.N. prohibition on the exportation of coal, a key revenue generator that helps fund its weapons of mass destruction programs," Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

15 Oct 2020

Comprehensive Sanctions: Iran, Syria and North Korea

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This article will focus on “comprehensive sanctions,” which prohibit most trade between the U.S. and the target country, with a particular focus on three countries currently targeted by comprehensive sanctions: Iran, Syria and North Korea. Similar jurisdictions which are subject to varying levels of comprehensive sanctions, including Cuba, the Crimea region (Russia/Ukraine) and Venezuela (which may be thought of as subject to “quasi-comprehensive” sanctions) will be dealt with an article later in this series.IranHistory of Iran sanctions: The first U.S.

23 Jul 2020

Chinese 'Dark Fleets' Fishing off North Korea Despite Sanctions Ban

(Photo: Global Fishing Watch)

“Dark fleets” believed to be from China have been fishing in North Korean waters, potentially netting Pyongyang millions of dollars in illicit fees and forcing smaller North Korean vessels further afield, a series of reports said this week.The South Korean coast guard as well as independent experts monitoring the implementation of United Nations sanctions have reported for years that ships of Chinese origin have been observed fishing in North Korean waters, in some cases having paid to obtain rights from North Korean authorities.In several new reports…

28 May 2020

US Maritime Sanctions Advisory: Navigating Choppy Waters

A North Korean-flagged tanker conducts a ship-to-ship transfer with a vessel of unknown nationality in November 2019. (File photo: Japanese Ministry of Defense)

In May 2020, the US Department of State, US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and US Coast Guard issued a joint Sanctions Advisory for the Maritime Industry. The advisory builds on and expands several prior sanctions advisories for the maritime community issued in 2018-19.The advisory is intended as a guidepost to help participants in the maritime sector achieve the desired level of compliance. Most of the guidance is couched in the language of suggestion (e.g., parties “may wish to consider…”), rather than as a mandate.

20 Apr 2020

North Korea Caught Busting Sanctions in Chinese Waters

A photo from the annual report to the U.N. Security Council by independent experts monitoring the implementation of U.N. sanctions on North Korea shows a North Korean-flagged vessel conducting a ship-to-ship transfer of coal near the Chinese port of Lianyungang with help from a floating crane in this August 20, 2019 photo provided to the U.N. experts by an unidentified U.N. member state. (Photo: United Nations)

On Oct. 10 last year, eight North Korean vessels - several carrying illicit coal shipments - were anchored in Chinese waters off the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, according to a photo in a U.N. report published online on Friday.That appears to be a lax enforcement by China of U.N. sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear program under which countries are required to inspect cargo destined to or coming from North Korea that is within their territory or being transported on North Korean-flagged vessels.The annual report to the U.N.

14 Apr 2020

North Korea Test Fires Anti-ship Missiles

North Korea launched multiple short-range anti-ship cruise missiles into the sea and Sukhoi jets fired air-to-surface missiles on Tuesday as part of its ongoing military exercises, South Korea’s military said.The missile tests came on the eve of a national holiday in North Korea to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the country and grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.Launched at around 7 a.m. (2200 GMT), the anti-ship missiles plunged into the sea more than 150 kilometres (93 miles) off the east coast town of Munchon…

04 Mar 2020

North Korea Caught Exporting Sand to China

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For several months last year, a steady stream of ships was observed dredging sand in a North Korean bay then transporting it to China, a Washington-based think-tank said on Wednesday.The extraction of sand from North Korea to China would violate a 2017 U.N. Security Council resolution that prohibits North Korea from “supplying, selling, or transferring sand”, the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) said in a report.The group’s researchers tracked the dredging and transport of the sand through commercial satellite imagery and shipping databases.“Between March and August 2019…

07 Oct 2019

North Korean Fishing Boat's Crew Rescued After Collision

Japan rescued about 60 North Korean crew members from a fishing boat that sank after it collided with a Japanese patrol boat that was chasing it out of Japanese waters, the Japan Coast Guard said on Monday.All the crew members that abandoned the fishing boat were rescued and handed over to another North Korean ship, the Coast Guard said.The collision between the North Korean vessel and a patrol ship from Japan's Fisheries Agency took place 350 km (220 miles) northwest of Noto peninsula in central Japan.Following the collision shortly after 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT), the Fisheries Agency and Coast Guard mobilised seven ships and aircraft to search for North Korean crew members.The Coast Guard did not give details about how the two vessels crashed in the Sea of Japan…

17 Sep 2019

Russia Detains Two N.Korean Vessels After Attack

Russian border guards detained two North Korean racketeering vessels in Russian territorial waters in the Sea of Japan after one of them attacked a Russian patrol ship, the TASS news agency cited the FSB security service as saying on Tuesday."The crew of a North Korean schooner (more than 45 people) carried out an armed attack on a border patrol ship's inspection team. Three military personnel were injured," the TASS news agency cited the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying.(Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva)

03 Jul 2019

U.N. Approves Release of Impounded Vessels

The United Nations has approved the release of two ships impounded by South Korea on suspicion of transferring oil to North Korea as there was no deliberate breach of sanctions, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.South Korea seized four vessels to check whether they violated U.N. sanctions by making illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil or coal products to North Korean ships.A U.N. panel monitoring the enforcement of sanctions approved the release of the Hong Kong-flagged Lighthouse Winmore and the South Korean P-Pioneer based on the result of a South Korean investigation that found they had not intended to breach sanctions, South Korean officials said."There was evidence of ship-to-ship transfers but we concluded that it was not deliberate…

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