N. Korean coal transshipped to S. Korean ports: report

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean coal was twice shipped to South Korea via Russia last year in violation of United Nations sanctions, an American broadcaster reported Tuesday.

Voice of America (VOA), citing an annual report submitted by an expert panel under the U.N. sanction committee, said that the North's coal shipped to the Russian port of Kholmsk was reloaded and sent to South Korean ports of Incheon and Pohang on Oct. 2 and Oct. 11, 2017, respectively.

According to the U.N. report, North Korean coal was shipped from the North's ports of Wonsan and Chongjin to Kholmsk on six occasions between July and September last year. The coal was then reloaded onto two ships, registered in Panama and Sierra Leone, which later docked at Incheon on Oct. 2 and Pohang on Oct. 11, respectively.

It stated that the Panama-registered ship carrying North Korean coal arrived in Incheon on Oct. 2, while the Sierra Leone-registered vessel shipped 5,000 tons of North Korean coal to Pohang on Oct. 11.

The value of the North Korean coal shipped to Pohang is estimated at US$325,000 if the per-ton price is set at $65, the VOA noted.

The broadcaster said there is a possibility of the North Korean coal transshipped to Incheon and Pohang being exported to other countries, though nothing has been confirmed.

Under U.N. resolution 2371 adopted by the Security Council in August last year, exports of North Korean minerals, including coal, are banned.
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