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National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon during a meeting of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on July 16.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to the National Assembly that vessels suspected of violating UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea have periodically visited Japanese ports, but that the Japanese government has not taken appropriate action in response.

Lee Hye-hoon, chairperson of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee and a lawmaker for the Bareunmirae Party, quoted NIS Director Suh Hoon as saying in a closed-door report to the Intelligence Committee on July 16 that the South Korean government had “made repeated requests in connection with vessels violating UN resolutions on North Korea sanctions,” but that “Japan has not taken appropriate measures, citing inadequacies in domestic law.”

An NIS examination of websites providing information on oceangoing vessels confirmed that vessels suspected of violating UN resolutions on North Korea sanctions – including the Rich Glory, Shining Rich, and Jin Long – had continued visiting Japanese ports including Naha and Noshiro until recently, Suh reported.

“These vessels have repeatedly been traveling in and out of Japanese ports. They have already been banned from docking at South Korean ports, and compared to the stern measures adopted by our US allies on vessels engaged in similar actions, Japan[’s response] has been quite tepid,” the NIS said.

While the NIS did not state which North Korea sanctions resolutions the vessels in question violated, it did say it had clear grounds for concluding that violations that occurred. It also suggested it may go public with the cases in question if Japan continues to escalate the issue of North Korea sanctions. When asked by Intelligence Committee members about cases of strategic goods being exported to North Korea from Japan, the NIS reportedly replied, “North Korean strategic goods are being managed through the counterproliferation center, but some aspects cannot be discussed publicly at the present stage.”

“[But] there may be areas that can be discussed if Japan escalates with the North Korea sanctions issue,” it reportedly said.

Additionally, the NIS said the South Korean government had “placed four vessels suspected of UNSC resolution violations under a long detention and implemented follow-up measures,” adding that “an investigation into two vessels accused of resolution violations is proceeding following a delay in their departure.”

Lee Hye-hoon explained, “With three other vessels besides the six [subject to South Korean government measures] alleged to have been in violation of UN sanctions resolutions, we have requested Japan’s cooperation and shared intelligence with them.”

“This tepid response from Japan and failure to take any action is quite worrying for the South Korean government,” she said.

“I asked Mr. Suh whether we had protested this to the Japanese government, and he said, ‘We have so far approached it through the sharing of intelligence in the context of friendly relations between allies,’” Lee continued.

“The government is strategically examining how to respond going forward,” she added.

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

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