South Korea detaining North Korea-linked ship suspected of sanctions violations

Investigation

South Korea detaining North Korea-linked ship suspected of sanctions violations

Exclusive NK News photos show impounded Mongolia-flagged ship held in waters off South Korea's coast

Chad O'Carroll | Jeongmin Kim | Won-Gi Jung August 20, 2021

South Korea detaining North Korea-linked ship suspected of sanctions violations

NK News | The Shun Fa, aka Kingsway, anchored near Busan on August 18, 2021

South Korea detained a U.N.-sanctioned oil tanker linked to North Korea in May after it entered the Busan area disguised as a Mongolia-flagged vessel, NK News confirmed on Friday.

Sailing under the name Shun Fa but sanctioned by the U.N. under the name Billions No. 18 for illicit ship-to-ship fuel deliveries to North Korea in 2017, the vessel also features prominently in a forthcoming U.N. Panel of Experts report seen by NK News.

About the Authors

Chad O'Carroll

Chad O'Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group's CEO, O'Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

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Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News and Editorial Director at KOREA PRO, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean relations and North and South Korean foreign and military affairs. Kim has covered the 2022 ROK presidential election on the ground, and prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim

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Won-Gi Jung

Won-Gi Jung is a reporter based in Seoul. He previously worked for the CSIS Korea Chair and East Asia Institute. Follow him on Twitter: @jungwongida.

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