Hong Kong-flagged vessel seized by South Korea, circumventing allegations surface
- South Korea Seizes a Hong Kong-flagged vessel on charges of transferring oil.
- China denies charges of illegal oil transferring to North Korea.
- The US proposes of blacklisting the ship in question.
Reuters reported of a Hong Kong-flagged ship being seized by the South Korean authorities. The alleged vessel, named Lighthouse Winmore was transferring refined petroleum products to a North Korean ship lodged in international waters, said a foreign ministry official from South Korea.
This defiance of the UN laws has landed the ship into trouble as The United States has proposed blacklisting of the Hong Kong-flagged ship to the UN Security Council for circumventing, says a report seen by Reuters. Earlier the UN had slapped sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs.
Meanwhile China has denied any reports of Chinese ships selling oil to North Korea. “China would never allow Chinese companies to violate UN resolutions. China had always implemented UN resolutions in their entirety”, Hua Chunying, a ministry spokeswoman told in a daily news briefing.
Speaking after US President Donald Trump’s statement that he had “been soft” on China regarding trade issues, Chunying said, “If there really were violations, China would deal with them seriously in accordance with the law.”
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Source: Reuters
