Top Namibian official visits Pyongyang

In March, this blog reported on the revelation by the U.N. Panel of Experts that the African nation of Namibia, a desert country in the southwest corner of the continent, had hired North Koreans, including representatives of U.N.-designated KOMID, to build an arms factory near Windhoek. At the time, Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah came to her government’s defense, admitting that her government was the site of a North Korean-run arms factory, but denying that the arrangement violated U.N. sanctions.

Today, NK News reports that Ms. N-N arrived in Pyongyang last Friday for a state visit, where she posed for photographs with Kim Yong-nam.

[via NK News]

Now, I can’t say whether the purpose of the visit itself is inappropriate unless I know what those present will discuss. After all, not all diplomatic interactions with North Korea are prohibited. I suppose the purpose of the visit could be to “sever ties and wrap things up,” as Daniel Pinkston suggests, but the level of the interactions and the coincident publicity don’t give me much confidence in that theory.

As noted above, Ms. Nandi-Ndaitwah is well aware of the North Korean arms factory in her country, but has denied that it violates U.N. sanctions. The U.N. Panel of Experts has correctly concluded that it’s a violation.

106. The construction of any munitions factory or related military facilities is considered to be services or assistance relating to the provision, manufacture or maintenance of arms and related materiel and therefore prohibited under the resolutions.

Here are the relevant provisions of UNSCR 2270:

“6. Decides that the measures in paragraph 8 (a) of resolution 1718 (2006) shall also apply to all arms and related materiel, including small arms and light weapons and their related materiel, as well as to financial transactions, technical training, advice, services or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of such arms and related materiel;

“9. Recalls that paragraph 9 of resolution 1874 (2009) requires States to prohibit the procurement from the DPRK of technical training, advice, services or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of arms and related materiel, and clarifies that this paragraph prohibits States from engaging in the hosting of trainers, advisors, or other officials for the purpose of military-, paramilitary- or police-related training;

Investigative journalist John Grobler later did an outstanding report on the factory for NK News, revealing the extent of the factory’s operations. Ms. Nandi-Ndaitwah has argued, however, that because the arms factory deal predates U.N. sanctions it’s permitted. Nonsense. UNSCR 2270 even has a force majeure clause in paragraph 47, clarifying that no claim shall lie for the termination of preexisting contracts that violate the sanctions. The resolutions clearly have retroactive effect.

The 2016 POE report found that the North Korean company running the arms factory is KOMID, which is designated by the U.N. and the U.S. Treasury Department — either “in cooperation with, or using the alias of, Mansudae Overseas Project Group companies.” The Namibian government is obligated to expel all KOMID representatives and freeze all KOMID property immediately:

13. Decides that if a Member State determines that a DPRK diplomat, governmental representative, or other DPRK national acting in a governmental capacity, is working on behalf or at the direction of a designated individual or entity, or of an individual or entities assisting in the evasion of sanctions or violating the provisions of resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) or this resolution, then the Member State shall expel the individual from its territory for the purpose of repatriation to the DPRK consistent with applicable national and international law. . . .

[….]

“32. Decides that the asset freeze imposed by paragraph 8 (d) of resolution 1718 (2006) shall apply to all the funds, other financial assets and economic resources outside of the DPRK that are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities of the Government of the DPRK or the Worker’s Party of Korea, or by individuals or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction, or by entities owned or controlled by them, that the State determines are associated with the DPRK’s nuclear or ballistic missile programs or other activities prohibited by resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) or this resolution, decides further that all States except the DPRK shall ensure that any funds, financial assets or economic resources are prevented from being made available by their nationals or by any individuals or entities within their territories, to or for the benefit of such individuals or entities, or individuals or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction, or entities owned or controlled by them, and decides that these measures shall not apply with respect to funds, other financial assets and economic resources that are required to carry out activities of the DPRK’s missions to the United Nations and its specialized agencies and related organizations or other diplomatic and consular missions of the DPRK, and to any funds, other financial assets and economic resources that the Committee determines in advance on a case-by-case basis are required for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, denuclearization or any other purpose consistent with the objectives of this resolution.

Either Ms. Nandi-Ndaitwah hasn’t read the resolutions or has chosen to defy them. If strong diplomatic appeals still haven’t secured commitments to bring that violation to an end, the State and Treasury Departments should act swiftly to sanction the North Korean and Namibian entities involved under section 104(a) of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act. Anything less would signal to North Korea’s arms clients elsewhere in Africa that the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions are mere suggestions. This time, an example must be made.