North Korea Illegally Exporting Coal to China in Violation of UN Sanctions, Report Says

The Royal United Services Institute issued a March 5 report stating that a fleet of North Korean cargo ships is delivering coal to China in violation of international sanctions. RUSI called the operation a “large-scale, coordinated effort” to evade United Nations Sanctions, which includes North Korean ships transmitting “fake details” over their Automatic Identification System transponders when visiting Chinese waters. While RUSI says evidence of North Korea shipping coal to China first surfaced in a 2019 UN report, the institute said its findings confirm the UN information despite denials at the time from China. “Not only do North Korean vessels continue to visit this specific region,” RUSI said, “but they are doing so in unprecedented numbers.”

Through satellite imagery, RUSI said it can be determined that North Korean ships load coal at North Korean ports and islands before sailing to China. Once the ships reach Chinese waters, a combination of lighters, barges and “floating transloading platforms” offload the coal “for onward shipment to Chinese terminals,” RUSI said. The institute said the profits from this operation likely have allowed North Korea to fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in further violation of UN sanctions. Hundreds of ships have also reportedly been dredging sand in North Korean waters before illegally exporting the sand to China (see 2003050045).