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U.S. seeks UN sanctions on ships found exporting North Korean resources to China

Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 09:38

A North Korean ship apparently attempts a ship-to-ship transfer at sea, in this picture released by the Japanese government on Feb. 20, 2018. [YONHAP]

The U.S. Department of State announced Monday that it is seeking United Nations sanctions on ships involved in exporting North Korean coal and iron ore to China in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

This marks the first push to put forth UN sanctions against North Korea by the Trump administration in its second term.

According to a State Department official on Monday, seven vessels from third countries transported and off-loaded North Korean coal and iron ore — exports banned under UN Security Council resolutions — to China. Coal and iron ore are among North Korea’s most profitable exports and serve as a crucial source of funding for its weapons of mass destruction programs, according to the official.

"These nominations are not just bureaucratic exercises. They're about ensuring accountability for UN sanctions violations and stopping exports that directly fund North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs," the official said, as quoted by Reuters.

UN Security Council Resolution 2371, adopted in 2017, bans all exports of key North Korean minerals, including coal and iron ore.

According to the State Department’s analysis, a Sierra Leone–flagged vessel named Flyfree departed from Russia and, on May 29 and 31, received coal via ship-to-ship transfer from North Korean vessels Tian Tong and Sinpyong 6 near North Korean waters. The Flyfree then transported the coal to Weifang, China, where it completed unloading between June 3 and 15.

A combination of photos, released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), show what they describe as an attempt by North Korean ship Rye Song Gang 1 to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer, possibly of oil, in an effort to evade sanctions on Oct. 19, 2017, in these pictures released in Washington on Nov. 21, 2017. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The image, taken on Dec. 9, 2017, depicts recent attempts by North Korean vessel Kum Un San to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer, possibly of oil, with the Panama-flagged KOTI in an effort to evade sanctions. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The vessels reportedly used a floating crane to conceal the origin of the cargo and engaged in geo-spoofing to hide their presence near North Korea, the official said.

Another vessel, the Casio, carried North Korean minerals from Nampo Port to Beiyang Port in China on Jan. 31. Along with these ships, the State Department requested that Mars, Cartier, Sofia, Armani and YiLi 1 — which have been transporting North Korean coal to China since September last year — also be designated for sanctions.

Under UN procedure, once circulated by the Sanctions Committee, the proposal will automatically take effect five days later unless member states raise objections. Objections can be lodged through an immediate rejection or a hold of up to nine months. This means the sanctions could fail if China or Russia, both of which have recently strengthened ties with North Korea, object. The Russian and Chinese missions to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Reuters.

"If there are no consequences for violations, sanctions risk becoming meaningless, and threats to international peace and security like the DPRK nuclear and ballistic missile programs will continue to grow unchecked," the State Department official told Reuters. DPRK is the official name for North Korea: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives to attend a national flag-raising and oath-taking ceremony at the Mansudae Assembly Hall to mark the 77th anniversary of the country’s founding in Pyongyang, on Sept. 9, in this picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sept. 10. [KCNA]

The sanctions proposal comes shortly after the cancellation of a potential surprise meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During his visit to Asia late last month, Trump had repeatedly expressed his desire to meet Kim, but the encounter did not take place.

When asked whether the sanctions were related to the failed meeting, the State Department official said that the department had been looking into this matter since spring, and there is no specific connection to the timing.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2006. Measures have grown tougher over the years, but China and Russia have recently been pushing for eased sanctions to convince Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG TAE-HWA [[email protected]]