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Voice of America reported that more North Korean ships headed to Russia than China last year. (taken from Voice of America website)

More North Korean vessels traveled to Russia than to China for the first time in the second half of 2017 amid the impact of sanctions, according to a Voice of America (VOA) report. VOA reported on Jan. 22 that an examination of the destinations of 93 North Korean vessels inspected at overseas port between July and Dec. 2017 through the Asia-Pacific Port State Control Committee showed more of them traveling to Russia than to China for the first time in history. Records of North Korean ship inspections were only found for China and Russia, with Chinese ports accounting for 38 and Russian ports for 55.

As recently as the second half of 2016, China accounted for 2.5 times as many North Korean vessels inspected as Russia, or 135 ships to Russia’s 55. In its report, VOA noted that the situation of more North Korean vessels traveling to Russia than China was essentially without precedent.

The analysis showed that more North Korean vessels began traveling to Russia than China around Mar. 2017, when sanctions on coal exports were intensified. VOA noted

“As recently as Jan. 2016, twenty North Korean vessels were inspected in China, while only three were inspected in Russia,” the report said.

“A large difference was also observed in February with 23 vessels [inspected] in China to seven in Russia, but the situation was reversed by April, with five vessels [inspected] in China and 13 in Russia,” it continued.

In Feb. 2017, the Chinese Commerce Ministry announced that it would not be importing North Korean coal through the end of the year in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2321, which capped exports of North Korean coal.

VOA went on to say the absence of any major difference from the year before in the number of North Korean vessels traveling to Russia as opposed to China “could lead to the interpretation that Russia is not faithfully implementing sanctions against the North.”

In a Jan. 17 interview with Reuters, US President Donald Trump said that Russia was “not helping us at all with North Korea” and “making up for some of what China is doing.”

By Jeon Jeong-yun, staff reporter

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