Nearly two years ago, a Russian veto eliminated the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, robbing the United Nations Security Council and UN Member States of independent, credible reporting on sanctions violations regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “Russia did this for one key reason: To hide its own violations from scrutiny,” said Ambassador Jennifer Locetta, U.S. Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN.
Independent experts like the Open Source Centre have stepped into the breach and are keeping the spotlight on UN sanctions evasion and violations.
The most recent information presented to the Security Council is “irrefutable,” declared Ambassador Locetta. “Vessels are loading DPRK-origin coal and iron ore at North Korean ports and sailing to destinations, most notably to China, in direct violation of this Council’s resolutions.”
“Let me be crystal clear about what this means,” said Ambassador Locetta: “In 2017, this Council passed Resolution 2371 explicitly prohibiting the export of DPRK coal, iron, and iron ore. The revenue from these exports directly funds North Korea’s unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.”
“Every ton of coal loaded onto these vessels, every shipment that reaches a foreign port, every dollar or yuan that flows back to Pyongyang brings the DPRK one step closer to threatening the world with nuclear catastrophe,” warned Ambassador Locetta. “This is not an abstract concern; this is one of the gravest threats to international peace and security today.”
The Open Source Centre’s findings confirm what the United States has been tracking for months. “We have identified these vessels. We know their routes. We know their operators,” said Ambassador Locetta. “And we will not stand by while they operate with impunity.”
The United States plans to nominate these vessels identified for designation in the 1718 Committee, which oversees the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions on the DPRK. “We call on the Committee to act without delay to designate all of the vessels involved in these smuggling operations, including those we nominated months ago,” said Ambassador Locetta.
If some members of the Security Council choose to ignore these violations, “they are making a deliberate choice to enable the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program,” warned Ambassador Locetta.
“The United States will not make that choice,” she said. “We will continue to identify violators, nominate them for designation, and work with our partners to ensure that they face consequences, whether through this Council or through other means.”
Unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are a threat to the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific, and to the entire world, warned Ambassador Locetta. “This Council was created to address exactly these kinds of threats. It’s time we did our actual jobs.”