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The US State Department launched its first website to receive reports of illegal activities in North Korea. The State Department will award rewards of up to $ 5 million for reports of sanctions violations, including arms exports, money laundering and transshipment between ships. Reporter Ji Da-gyeom reports.
The US State Department launched its own website on Day 1 to gather information on the status of North Korea’s sanction evasion.
▶ Visit the US Department of State’s ‘North Korea Sanctions Violation Report’ website.
US State Department Deputy Special Deputy Representative Alex Wong announced the announcement at an event hosted by the Institute for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), a private organization in Washington, and said that people from around the world can provide information about North Korea’s illegal activities through its website. That.
[녹취: 웡 부대표] “Today, the State Department is launching a new website DPRKrewards.com, through which people around the world can provide information to our Rewards for Justice program on sanctions evasion against the DPRK.”The State Department has been operating a website called the ‘Reward for Justice Fund (RFJ)’, which deals comprehensively with the financing of terrorism, the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, and illegal acts against North Korea.
Additionally, since June last year, a reward system has been introduced for reporting sanctions violations against North Korea, but this is the first time that an independent website has been opened that only targets illegal activities in North Korea.
The newly established website will reward up to $ 5 million in rewards for information disrupting the financial system of those involved in North Korean support activities, such as money laundering, exports of luxury goods to North Korea, and cyber activities that support the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It is said to provide.
The State Department said on its new website that it would collect information on how to avoid sanctions against North Korea in eight main areas.
Ships involved in the export and shipment of North Korean military weapons and other related goods, cyber operations to harm cyber security such as financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges around the world for the benefit of the North Korean government, coal exports from North Korea and imports of crude oil and petroleum products. Transshipment between livers (STS) applies.
It also said it was seeking information on North Korean workers sent abroad in order to generate income for the North Korean government, as well as information on individuals and companies that hire them or promote their activities in third countries.
Money laundering to support the North Korean government is also one of the State Department’s information gathering targets.
In addition, he explained that there is information on drug trafficking, counterfeiting of goods and currency, massive cash smuggling with the purpose of supporting the North Korean government, as well as shipping and transportation activities for the export of luxury goods to North Korea.
The State Department also requested a report on “serious human rights violations” committed by the North Korean government.
In addition to English, the website has been translated into a total of 21 languages, including Korean, Chinese and Russian, and there is a space to report through 3 messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram.
In a call with the VOA on Day 1, New American Security Center (CNAS) investigator Jason Bartlett told the VOA that the new website is concentrating resources on targeting North Korea’s sanctions evasion tactics by the Department of State and making efforts to obtain relevant information. I evaluated it as showing.
He added that it also shows that the State Department understands the complexity and sophistication of avoiding sanctions against North Korea.
[녹취: 바틀렛 연구원] “I think this also serves as a form of diplomatic signaling to North Korea to let them know that the State Department is aware of what they are doing and understands that they need to do more. But I also think it is a diplomatic signal to China and Russia that both the UN Panel of Experts and the United States have mentioned several times that they facilitate North Korean sanctions evasion, and it also sends a signal to other outside actors. “Researcher Bartlett also assessed that there are aspects of sending diplomatic signals not only to North Korea, but also to China and Russia, which are said to promote the evasion of sanctions against North Korea.
It is also targeting third country actors who are already involved in or considering illegal activities against North Korea. He explained that the State Department is sending a message that the State Department is aware of sanctions evasion activity and will remain vigilant.
Matthew Ha, a researcher at the Foundation for the Protection of Democracy (FDD), said the Trump administration has been making silent behind-the-scenes efforts to gather evidence of sanction evasion in various fields, such as financial sanction avoidance, maritime activities illegal and sending workers. Evaluated in.
[녹취: 하 연구원] “I think it’s a creative way, but at the same time I don’t know if it’s the best way because there are definitely other policy options to improve sanctions enforcement, at least from the perspective of the US government.”However, researcher Ha told a meeting whether opening a website is the best option, given that the UN Sanctions Committee’s panel of experts against North Korea has already presented enough sanctions violations, and there are other alternatives to policy that the US administration can improve the application of sanctions. He showed a good position.
This is the news from VOA, Dagyeom Ji.
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