“North Korea, openly exporting coal to China … selling 400 billion won this year alone”

Despite international sanctions against North Korea, North Korea is reported to have generated around 400 billion won this year through coal exports to China. In this process, it is known that ships are openly exported without special camouflage to avoid surveillance by the international community.

On the 7th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed and reported satellite images provided by officials from the US State Department and the State Department. According to the WSJ, North Korean ships have transported coal hundreds of times in the past year to Ningbo-Zhoushan, China. A senior official at the US State Department explained that “we did not specifically hide or disguise (ship).” An Aug. 12 satellite image provided by the US State Department showed that Chinese ships were adjacent to North Korean ships laden with coal off the coast of Ningbo-Zhoushan, China. An earlier satellite image from June 19 also shows a Chinese barge loading North Korean coal in the port of Nampo, North Korea. The export of coal from North Korea is a violation of the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea. WSJ estimates that, assuming North Korea sold coal to China for $ 80 to $ 100 a ton, North Korea’s coal exports in September this year will reach $ 330 million to $ 410 million (about $ 3.585 billion to 445.5 billion won). did. This is roughly 20% compared to before the UN sanctions in 2017.

North Korea’s coal exports are driven by private brokers linked to North Korea’s munitions industry, explained a senior US State Department official. “After the UN sanctions in 2017, the export volume (which had plummeted) is increasing remarkably,” he said.

According to the satellite image released by the WSJ that day, North Korea is not using tricks like falsifying the ship’s name, changing the flag, or secretly moving to Tonkin Bay near Vietnam as usual and transshipping coal by sea with another. ship. A senior State Department official said: “North Korean ships are being transported directly to China” and “This is a big difference from immediately after the UN sanctions in 2017.” He explained that “North Korea no longer cares about sanctions and surveillance by the international community.”

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