How do sanctions on North Korea work, and how does it get around them?
North Korea was the most sanctioned country in the world before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
on North Korea are international restrictions on trading with it, aimed mostly at its nuclear weapons programme. The UN's own panel reported that North Korea evades them with falsified documents and covert at sea. A number of countries and international bodies have imposed sanctions, including the US, EU, UN, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Japan, which made North Korea the most sanctioned country in the world before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The UN rules grew in steps. UN resolutions were passed after North Korean nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2017. were initially focused on trade bans on weapon-related materials, expanded to luxury goods to target the elite, then to financial assets, banking, and general travel and trade. Resolution 2375 in September 2017 limited oil imports and banned North Koreans from working abroad, and Resolution 2397 in December 2017 limited refined petroleum imports to 500,000 barrels per year. UN agencies can still help with nutrition, health, water and sanitation.
Evasion has been documented by the UN's own . In April 2019 it reported that North Korea had developed a number of techniques and a complex web of organizations to evade , including falsifying documents and covert of cargo at sea. In March 2024 it reported that North Korea had smuggled up to 1.5 million barrels of oil the previous year.
Step 1: Falsify documents
Paperwork hides what the cargo is or where it goes
Step 2: Switch off tracking
A ship's signal goes dark to conceal its course
Step 3: Transfer at sea
Cargo moves ship to ship away from ports
The same month, Russia the renewal of the Panel's mandate, ending the that had supported the UN's committee since 2009. Since June 2024, satellite images have shown North Korean tankers with their off at a Russian port, apparently loading Russian oil, journalists reported.
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Recap
Each test brought tighter UN limits; evasion relies on false papers and cargo transfers at sea, as the UN panel reported.
๐ก A trick to remember it ยท A fence that grows taller after each test, while the ones on the other side look for holes in the dark.
Surprising fact ยท The UN Panel of Experts that reported on sanctions evasion had its mandate renewal vetoed by Russia in March 2024.
Connects to
- โข๏ธ How did North Korea build nuclear weapons, and what have its tests shown?
- ๐ How have North Korea's relations with South Korea, China, Russia and the US changed?
- ๐ What are jangmadang, and how do North Koreans make a living?
- โ๏ธ Do economic sanctions actually work?
- ๐ How do economic sanctions work: asset freezes, SWIFT and secondary sanctions?
Sources (2)
No source, no claim. Every fact in this lesson (16 claims) cites at least one of these.