UN Security Council Faults South Korea Over Unreported Oil Shipment to North Korea

No violations alleged, panel still criticizes South Korea

The establishment of the inter-Korean liaison office last year in North Korea was a major step forward for diplomacy. Yet the UN Security Council is finding serious fault in South Korea’s government for not providing specific records on how much refined petroleum was used.

Construction and staffing of this office was not a huge deal, but it still required fuel to power vehicles. Moreover, the building exists in a place where it snows in the winter, which requires heating oil.

South Korea says that they discussed the matter with the US and UN before engaging in the effort. The UN Security Council, however, says South Korea still should’ve given them exact figures for any refined petroleum used, whether it was just the gasoline inside a car or the fuel powering a construction vehicle.

None of this is a violation, as such, since none of the construction provided any value for the North Koreans. yet the UN still says South Korea should’ve done better in giving exact figures, and needs to be “more careful” in the future.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.