Proliferation Security Watch
* Hong Kong authorities have detained a North Korean ship “Kang Nam I, a 2,035-ton general cargo ship,” which had arrived from Shanghai. North Korean crew members and Hong Kong customs officials suggest that the inspection is related to a couple dozen safety violations, that the ship is empty, and that the inspections are not related to U.N.S.C.R. 1718. Crew members claim that the ship will sail again in two days. The Chosun Ilbo reports that the search didn’t turn up any prohibited cargo. [Update: the Daily NK says this is related to 1718 and is based on recent U.S. intel.]
* South Korea is denying reports that it allowed North Korean ships to pass through its waters without being searched. Far be it for me to defend the South Korean government, but it’s not clear that the alleged South Korean inaction came before or after 1718. It’s also not clear from the text why the headline suggested that the ships might have carried weapons. I’ve disagreed with many of the South’s permissive and gullible policies toward the North, but I’m less interested in past differences than in the question of whether the South knows that the rules have changed.
* Opposition lawmakers are asking for more details on $13M in South Korean funds that ended up in blacklisted Banco Delta Asia. The Chosun Ilbo report implies, but does not state, that the funds may have gone to North Korea. Not surprisingly, the Bank of Korea is denying the lawmakers access to the transaction records.
* Clear the China shop! John Bolton is on his way to Seoul! “‘Ambassador Bolton’s trip here will not directly sway the government’s decision to implement the U.N. resolution,’ the official said. ‘It will just provide a chance for the government to confirm the U.N.’s stance on the North Korean nuclear issue.'” Rrrrright. Still you can’t argue with results like these. Incidentally, John Bolton happens to be the architect of the Proliferation Security Initiative, which the United States is pressing the South Koreans to join. Coincidence? [Update: cancelled.]
* South Korea is making one concession — it’s cracking down on strategic exports. Readers may recall some very interesting remarks by U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow when he visited the Kaesong Industrial Park recently, which led to this very long post on how U.S. export control laws could affect Kaesong.
* Here’s your official stud book on the U.N. sanctions committee that will oversee 1718 compliance.
* Missed any good late-night TV recently? This should take care of that:
Chinese police last month arrested two men on charges of trying to sell 1 kg of enriched uranium, an essential raw material for nuclear weapons, press reports said Monday. The two were ethnic Koreans living in China, police in Beijing confirmed. Press reports said Beijing police arrested the two men, identified as Chang and Chung, on charges of attempting to sell 969.03 grams of enriched uranium at a hotel there on Sept. 11.
Whether this is a case of loose nukes or the regime trying to disguise a transfer isn’t clear, although it would seem that the regime would have easier means than this to sell nuclear materials. DPRK Studies has more.