Suspected DPRK Arms-Laden Ship Said 'Headed Back,' North; Destination Unknown
Lee, Minhwan
Unknown
Seoul The Korea Herald Online in English 0033 GMT 02 Jul 09
[By Kim Ji-hyun: "N.K. Vessel Headed Back: U.S. Officials"; As of 0100 GMT 2
July, North Korean media have not been observed to report on the Kang Nam
1's current transit, load, or destination as referenced below]
U.S. officials said Tuesday [ 30 June] that a North Korean ship appears to
have turned around to head back in the direction it came from after being
tracked by the U.S. navy on suspicion of carrying illegal weapons, according
to news reports.
The Kang Nam [Kang Nam 1] turned around Sunday and is headed back north, two
U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. They
said they did not know where it was going.
These reports came a day after a Foreign Ministry official told The Korea
Herald that the ship is in waters close to the Korean Peninsula.
An official had said that the ministry does not have the exact location of
the ship.
The apparent return of the Kang Nam keeps the United States and the rest of
the international community guessing: Where is the Kang Nam going? Does its
cargo include materials banned by a new U.N. anti-proliferation resolution?
Having left a North Korean port on June 17, the ship is the first vessel
monitored under a U.N. resolution adopted last month to ban the reclusive
regime from selling arms and nuclear-related material. The U.S. navy had
been watching it, at times following it from a distance, for a week and a
half as it traveled south and southwest.
Though acknowledging all along that the Kang Nam's destination was unclear,
some officials said last week that it could be going to Myanmar [Burma] and
that it was unclear whether it could reach there without stopping in another
port to refuel.
The government of Myanmar has said it would not allow the Kang Nam to dock
at its port if the ship is discovered to be carrying the banned weapons or
related material. The Myanmar embassy here declined to comment.
Singapore, another alleged destination for the ship, also has communicated
that it would cooperate with the U.N. sanctions.
Experts have said such cooperation would strengthen the international
resolve to penalize the North for its latest brinkmanship activities
including the May 25 nuclear test.
But critics raise questions as to how effective the sanctions and
international coordination would be since Pyongyang continues to boycott any
type of disarmament talks.
Some say the latest U.N. resolution, although it allows the international
community to ask for permission to board and search suspect ships, should
have been tougher, such as allowing authorities to forcefully board.