North Korea’s Ocean
Maritime Management Company [OMM] has renamed some of its ships in a bid to
circumvent sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
In July 2013, the Chongchongang vessel–owned by OMM–was found conveying MiG-21 jet fighters as well as armaments. The U.N. Security Council consequently blacklisted the corporation, froze its assets, and
proscribed foreign travel by the firm’s executives.
On February 25th, the U.N. Security Council’s panel of experts on North Korea announced that OMM had
continued its operation of the ship after altering the appellation, proprietor
firm, and other information that are pivotal for the identification of the
ship.
The panel revealed that OMM had renamed thirteen out of its fourteen ships and handed over the ownership
of these ships to another company. OMM has business connections with
individuals and corporations across the world, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Greece,
Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Chongchongang Shipping Company, Amrokgang Shipping Company, and 32 other front companies created by OMM were placed on the blacklist by the panel, which is seeking to impose sanctions on the
top executives of these corporations, including Choi Chul Ho [vice-president of
OMM] and Kim Young Chul [president of Chongchongang Shipping Company].
North Korean diplomats and trade
executives play a key role in the illegal trade of armaments, including
ballistic missiles. Through their work in international organizations, agents with the North’s main intelligence agency, the General Bureau of Reconnaissance [GBR], endeavor to lift the
sanctions imposed upon North Korea. These officials include Kim Yong Nam, a General Bureau of Reconnaissance agent, and his son and daughter, Kim Soo
Gwang and Kim Soo Kyung respectively, who worked at the U.N. World Food Program.
The panel also reported on an investigation launched into
the wreckage of drones, discovered in South Korea between October 2012 and April 2014 and determined to be from North Korea, stating, “We are not yet sure if
North Korea purchased these weapons from abroad or manufactured them itself.”
