Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III said Saturday that the United Nations sanctions would be applied on the MV Jin Teng, which arrived at Subic Bay on Thursday.
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The cargo ship Jin Teng was one of the first sanctioned North Korean ships to enter a foreign port since the UN Security Council unanimously passed tightened sanctions on Wednesday.
Japan’s United Nations ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said the firing was North Korea’s reaction to the latest sanctions and warned there could be more.
“North Korea is committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States”, said the Pentagon’s most recent assessment of North Korea’s weapons capabilities released a few weeks ago.
“There were some reports that Chinese banks on the border city of Dandong have already begun suspending the transfer of Chinese currency to North Korean banks, so that’s something that might indicate China’s willingness to enforce some of these measures initially”, said Lisa Collins, a fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Elsewhere, there will also be limits placed on its sale of iron, gold and coal, and a ban on leasing vessels or aeroplanes to the country.
Kim Jong-Un has increased his outspoken war of words by threatening to “clearly show the end” to South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye, in one of his most outspoken outbursts in public.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told the country’s military to deploy the nuclear warheads so they can be fired at “any moment” and be prepared to launch preemptive attacks against its enemies.
According to U.S. officials, a group of naval ships sent to the South China Sea this week, would be in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula, able to keep watch on North Korea’s actions.
Philippines authorities said there were no problems so far with the ship’s cargo, which was reported as palm kernels.
Such actions – this ship seizure, specifically, and stronger sanctions, generally – seemingly have done little to deter North Korea’s muscle flexing, bellicose talk and nuclear ambitions.
“I think that a greater provocation [from North Korea] is forthcoming, right down to another nuclear test”.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Raul Belesario said the inspectors found no suspicious materials on the vessel, but spotted minor deficiencies, including missing fire hoses, a corroded air vent and electrical switches without insulation.
The registered owner of the Jin Teng is Golden Soar Development, which has an address in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district, according to the Equasis shipping database hosted by the French transport ministry, although there is no telephone listing for the company.
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As of Saturday noon, coast guard officials have yet to receive orders from the Foreign Affairs Department for the North Korean ship’s detention. They target multiple sectors of the country’s economy and make all cargo going to and from the country subject to inspection.
