South Korea, the US and Japan simultaneously announced independent sanctions on North Korea earlier this month.
However, some North Koreans are mocking the sanctions, saying that “ineffective sanctions for show have no meaning.”
On Tuesday, Daily NK asked a high-ranking North Korean source who has access to news from the outside world what he thought of all three countries announcing sanctions on North Korea on the same day.
He responded that North Korea has lived under sanctions for the last 70 years, surviving on self-reliance.
“The sanctions by the US, South Korea or Japan will have no impact on us,” he claimed.
He further explained that the US adding three Workers’ Party of Korea cadres to its sanctions list was more or less a useless move. “What’s the point of sanctioning people who play no role [in anything]?” he asked.
On Dec. 2, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added Academy of National Defense Science Party Committee Chairman Jon Il Ho, former Munitions Industry Department Director Yu Jin and former General Political Bureau Director Kim Su Gil to its sanctions list.
These figures were included in sanctions announced by the EU in April, and have been included on South Korea’s independent sanctions list since 2016.
ONE OFFICIAL ON US SANCTIONS LIST IS IN POOR HEALTH
According to the source, Jon has not made an official appearance in months due to health issues — he suffers from diabetes and other diseases, and recently had surgery to implant a stent to treat a vascular disorder.
He said Jon was not relieved from his position because North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has great faith in him. However, the official cannot perform his duties due to health issues, and at over 70 years of age, he is unlikely to assume a top-line role again.
On the other hand, Yu Jin is still a key cadre performing working-level duties pertaining to the munitions industry.
However, the source claimed that he is not in a position to play a direct role in procuring cash or supplies from abroad.
The same goes for Kim Su Gil, the former head of the KPA’s General Political Bureau and now chief secretary of Gangwon Province’s party committee.
Of course, only somebody deeply trusted by the Supreme Leader (Kim Jong Un) can become the chief secretary of a provincial party, and the position itself is a key one and potential springboard for promotion to the Cabinet or the party’s top leadership.
But Daily NK’s high-ranking source said Kim Su Gil is no longer involved in munitions because he has moved from the military to a civilian position.
SOUTH KOREAN SANCTIONS “HAVE NO IMPACT”
Some North Koreans also say that even though South Korea announced more independent sanctions on Pyongyang, this move will not hinder the country’s development of nuclear weapons or missiles one bit.
Another Daily NK source with access to news from the outside world said “almost nobody [in North Korea] works with companies or accounts connected to South Korea,” and that South Korea’s sanctions “have no impact.”
He said figures connected to North Korea’s munition industries usually work in overseas regions outside the reach of the South Korean government, lowering the impact of Seoul’s independent sanctions.
On Dec. 2, the South Korean government designated eight individuals for sanctions due to financial transactions and illegal shipments connected to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, along with seven entities for supporting North Korea’s financial activity, dispatching labor or transporting sanctioned items.
The designated individuals include Ri Myong Hun and Ri Jong Won of the Foreign Trade Bank, Choe Song Nam and Ko Il Hwan of Daesong Credit Development Bank, Paek Jong Sam of Kumgang Group Bank, Kim Chol of Korea Unification Development Bank, and Kwek Kee Seng of Singapore and Chen Shih Huan of Taiwan.
The entities include Korea Silver and Gold Company, Korea Namgang Trading Corporation, Korea Unpa Shipping Company, Pochon Shipping Company, New Eastern Shipping, Anfasar Trading and Swanseas Port Services.
Japan also added people and entities to its sanctions list, including Haegumgang Trading Company, which is accused of weapons dealing for North Korea’s defense ministry; Korea Namgang Trading Company, which handles the dispatch of North Korean workers overseas; and Kim Su Il, the head of the Munitions Industry Department’s Vietnam delegation.
SANCTIONS REGIME INEFFECTIVE WITHOUT RUSSIA AND CHINA’S PARTICIPATION
South Korea, the US and Japan spaced out their announcements of additional independent sanctions throughout the day, and some of their selections overlapped.
The three countries revealed their determination to conduct trilateral cooperation when discussion of additional international sanctions on North Korea failed in the UN Security Council due to opposition from China and Russia, despite Pyongyang’s repeated ballistic missile provocations.
Daily NK’s high-ranking source said people working overseas for North Korea’s munitions sector carry several passports and use different names.
“Of course, the US, South Korea and Japan must know this, but we are employing several methods to avoid the impact of sanctions,” he added.
The source did point out that many North Korean high-ranking officials agree that if China or Russia take part in UN Security Council sanctions toward North Korea, the country would be “directly impacted.”
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