PRC crackdown on NK seafood; Luxury cars still being smuggled into NK; Iran and Syria build economic ties; US, UK & EU sanctions
Prohibited Transactions for the week of 11 Dec 2023 (#30)
North Korea
According to covert reporting from inside North Korea, the PRC is intensifying its border controls with the DPRK — by installing additional CCTV cameras and infrared sensors — with the goal of cutting down on smuggling and defections. At the same time, North Korean authorities are issuing visas to Chinese nationals, specifically Chinese traders, investors and technicians, to enter the country. The PRC is also cracking down on North Korean seafood sold in the country, including seafood caught by Chinese vessels. //The PRC is requiring vessels going near North Korea to be equipped with GPS and automatic identification systems (AIS) in order to track their locations to determine if they were fishing in North Korean waters. I suppose that means in this case they think GPS and AIS data is reliable enough to track and monitor vessels that are operating near North Korea. Too bad the government isn’t as diligent about tracking other vessels in their territorial waters engaging in illicit DPRK trade.
A media analysis of recent activity by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shows that North Korea continues to smuggle luxury vehicles for use by Kim, including at least two sedans and a SUV produced by Mercedes-Maybach, and vans from Lexus and Ford. //That their illicit networks are able to smuggle cars into the country undetected shows their ability to move large items across their borders, and the likely ease they would have moving smaller objects across as well.
Japanese authorities were able to intercept a USD70,000 Lexus which was bound for North Korea via Bangladesh. The dealer selling the car claimed Singapore as the vehicle’s final desitnation.
The regional governor of the Russian territory Primorsky Krai, which borders the DPRK, traveled to Pyongyang to discuss “inter-regional economic cooperation” with North Korean officials. Observers — including South Korea’s spy agency — suspect this will include sending North Korean workers to Russia, which would violate UN Security Council Resolution 2397.
The US State Department sanctioned several shipping companies and vessels involved with the transfer of weapons between North Korea and Russia.
US media is reporting that former US President Donald Trump is “considering a plan to let North Korea keep its nuclear weapons and offer its regime financial incentives to stop making new bombs,” if reelected to the presidency in 2024. This could involve sanctions relief in exchange for a freeze on the DPRK’s nuclear program and halt in developing new weapons.
Iran
In recent meetings between Iranian and Syrian representatives, the two countries discussed the establishment joint economic zones, as well as joint banking and insurance institutes (as previously mentioned in Issue #15). There was also talk about how their respective private sectors could work together to boost trade exchanges. The two governments signed six memorandums of understanding on various economic and trade cooperation issues. An Iranian minister also indicated that the government was ready to complete construction of the Tehran-Damascus railway.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Moscow and Tehran are working on a new long-term, strategic cooperation agreement between the two nations.
The EU sanctioned 24 individuals and five entities for their connections to human rights abuses, as well as providing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to Russia.
The US and UK took joint sanctions action against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF), as well as HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) with the UK sanctioning eight individuals — seven which previously had been sanctioned by the US — and the eighth individual being jointly sanctioned by the two countries.