US forces have captured one of North Korea’s largest cargo ships, the
Wise Honest, accusing the ship of having been involved in hauling coal
in violation of international sanctions which the US interprets to forbid them from selling coal abroad.
The Justice Department issued a statement declaring the
“sanctions-busting ship is now out of service.” Though the US accuses
materially any North Korean ship in the water of violating sanctions,
this is the first time they’ve gone to such an extent as to physically
capture a ship.
US officials say that the capture of the ship is unrelated to recent
North Korean activities, and was planned for months. The allegations
against the ship date back to 11/16 through 4/18. The ship had confirmed
selling coal to Indonesia in 2018.
This suggests the US began the activity to capture the ship even before
the failed Hanoi summit, and was intending to do so, despite the obvious
risk of derailing peace talks, before negotiations started to falter.
US Seizes North Korean Cargo Ship Hauling Coal
Justice Dept accuses North Korea of violating ban on exporting coal
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.
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