The North has denied all links to a North Korean-flagged oil tanker intercepted
by Libyan officials last week.
The tanker, named the Morning Glory, had docked in the
rebel-held port of Sidra and was thought to be carrying an illegal shipment of
oil.
A representative from North Korea’s National Maritime Office conveyed through the Chosun Central News Agency, “North Korean nationality
was temporarily granted to the Morning Glory oil tanker at the end of last
month but after the government of Libya indicated it had docked illegally on
the 8th, this status was cancelled on the grounds of violation of
contract.”
The representative shut down claims that the regime was attempting
to illegally purchase oil, asserting that the ship has “no relationship whatsoever
with North Chosun.”
“Some forces are trying to connect us to this incident and mislead
the public. This is obviously an impure
political maneuver to sully the image of our Republic. It must be clearly known that whatever pernicious
slander is thrown at us, the image of our Republic – the Highest Dignity – can never
be corrupted,” it was said.
A former high-ranking North Korean trader told Daily NK, “Typically
if the North Koreans believe something is unfavorable to them when it comes to joint
ventures with foreign companies, they annul contracts on principle as
a way to ensure that they are in no way tainted by the other partner. They want to avoid being seen in a negative light overseas.”
The Morning Glory, a tanker with a reported capacity of 350,000
barrels, had previously flown the flag of Liberia before changing to the North
Korean flag on February 27th.
The vessel is now thought to be in open seas
after evading capture by taking advantage of poor weather conditions.
