South Korea sanctions 11 vessels over oil and coal smuggling with North Korea

South Korea has imposed unilateral sanctions on 11 vessels it accuses of ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean ships, smuggling refined oil and coal, and delivering used ships to Pyongyang, Korea JoongAng Daily reports. Named vessels include the Nam Dae Bong, New Konk, Unica, Xing Ming Yang, Gold Star and Athena. Two individuals and three trading companies, Mangang, Risang and Yua, were also listed. The newspaper says it is Seoul's first unilateral sanctions on vessels in eight years. According to the report, North Korea illegally brings in about 780,000 barrels of refined oil a year, around 1.5 times the UN cap. Transactions with the listed parties now require approval from South Korean financial authorities.

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