Germany has sent its first frigate to monitor North Korea sanctions evasion. Surveillance for illegal activities at sea in North Korea, which had stalled in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus last year, is being strengthened again. Experts interpreted it to be aimed at deterring North Korea as well as China from violating sanctions. Reporter Park Hyung-joo reports.
Germany has sent a frigate to monitor North Korea’s activities in violation of UN Security Council sanctions, including illegal ship-to-ship transshipment.
In a press release on the 5th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced that the German navy frigate ‘Bavaria’ will participate in vigilance monitoring activities for North Korea’s illegal maritime transshipment activities in the East China Sea and the waters of Japan from the middle of this month.
This is the first time a German warship has been involved in a related activity.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan is committed to ensuring the effective implementation of UN Security Council-related resolutions and the international community’s solidarity to realize the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of all North Korean weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles of all ranges. He said he welcomed such activities.
The Japanese Coast Guard and Maritime Self-Defense Forces are also carrying out intelligence-gathering activities on vessels suspected of violating UN Security Council resolutions, he said.
According to Japanese media such as ‘NHK’, the German frigate Bayern made a call to the Port of Tokyo on the 5th and plans to conduct joint maritime exercises with five countries including the United States and Japan until the 12th before conducting sanctions monitoring activities against North Korea.
Jason Bartlett, a researcher at the Center for New American Security (CNAS), a non-governmental organization in Washington, said on the 5th that Germany’s addition to the VOA as a country participating in the deterrence of illicit maritime activity reflects the US and UN-led international efforts against the North Korean regime’s sanctions evasion activities. assessed to be contributing.
It was also interpreted that the political will of the countries involved in implementing the sanctions was strengthened.
[녹취: 바틀렛 연구원] “This rise in international cooperation on monitoring areas with high levels of sanctions evasion activity indicates an increase in global political appetite for enforcing sanctions abroad and greater understanding of the importance surrounding counterproliferation efforts.”
Strengthening international cooperation for surveillance in areas with high levels of sanctions evasion means a greater understanding of the political will to implement sanctions and non-proliferation efforts.
With Germany’s participation, the number of countries participating in North Korea sanctions monitoring activities in the region has increased to six in the past two months.
New Zealand on the 4th, Australia, France and Canada last month, and Britain in September announced that they would send their own patrol aircraft or frigates.
The United States has been emphasizing the international community’s implementation of sanctions against North Korea since the time of the Donald Trump administration, and has especially encouraged allies to participate in surveillance activities for sanctions violations.
As a result, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are sending their assets and troops to Japan on a de facto yearly basis.
According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, which compiled surveillance and suspected cases of illegal maritime activities from 2018 to recent years, this year, Western countries, including Australia, participated in related activities in the region 13 times.
Last year, there were only five related activities in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but this year it has increased significantly. In addition, there were more than 6 times in 2018 and 9 times in 2019.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that through these activities, it has caught 9 suspected cases of sanctions violations in 2018, 5 cases in 2019, and 1 case in 2020. There have been no cases of detection made public by the Japanese side this year.
It was found that the aftermath of the novel coronavirus, such as the border blockade by the North Korean authorities, also affected North Korea’s related illegal activities, such as exporting coal and importing refined oil.
In the interim report of the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee expert panel released last month, there were fewer reports of illegal activities by ships than in previous years, explaining that “there were no reports of transshipment between ships on the high seas or the transportation of oil by oil tankers carrying flags of other countries.” I did.
In a phone call with VOA on the 5th, former member Neil Watts, a maritime security expert who served as an expert panel for the UN Sanctions Committee on North Korea from 2013 to 2018, said that as the North Korean authorities continue to block land, sea transportation by ships has become more important. It is predicted that illegal activities at sea will increase significantly in the future.
[녹취: 워츠 전 위원] “What has happened now is that the world is engaged in economic recovery And of course China and North Korea are no different. I think what you’re going to see now is a commensurate increase in illicit activity as more countries try to recover from covid. And China in particular is hungry for natural resources because of the needs to generate power. and of course to stimulate iron and steel industry production, all of which is heavily dependent on coal and iron. So you this is you’re going to see this activity increase.
China and North Korea are no exceptions, with economic activity increasing as many countries emerge from the novel coronavirus phase and begin economic recovery.
Former Commissioner Wortz said that China’s recent efforts to resolve power shortages and increase steel production could increase its activities with neighboring North Korea, as China is experiencing a ‘resource famine’ of coal and iron.
In fact, some media reported that North Korean companies were smuggling coal to China through the West Sea.
North Korea’s exports of coal and iron ore are subject to UN Security Council sanctions.
Meanwhile, Bruce Klingner, a senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation, explained that the recent European countries sending warships to the region will not only send a signal to North Korea that they will not tolerate sanctions violations, but also send a message to China.
[녹취: 클링너 연구원] “Well, I think there are a number of reasons why, particularly European nations might be sending ships it’s either as a signal to North Korea that their violations will not be tolerated. …as part of the broader international effort to curtail Chinese intimidation or transgressions in the Indo Pacific region.”
Klingner said it could be part of a broader international effort to limit China’s threats or transgressions in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as crack down on China’s violations of UN sanctions or its involvement in related activities.
This is Park Hyung-joo from VOA News.
.
