A NORTH Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons cruised past Shanghai yesterday en route to Burma.
Regional military officials and a US destroyer kept a close eye on the vessel The Kang Nam. A US official confirmed a North Korean-flagged vessel left the port of Nampo last Wednesday, and was being trailed by a US destroyer.
It the first ship be
ing monitored under the UN sanctions imposed earlier this month following North Korea's defiant underground nuclear test in May. The new resolution seeks to strengthen efforts to stop North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs and selling its technology.
The Kang Nam, accused of transporting illicit goods in the past, is believed to be carrying banned small arms to Burma, a South Korean intelligence official said.
However, analysts say a high-seas interception – a move North Korea has said it would consider an act of war – is unlikely.
The resolution calls on UN member states to inspect North Korean vessels if they have "reasonable grounds" to believe that its cargo contains banned weapons or materials.
The North, however, is unlikely to allow any inspection of its cargo, said Hong Hyun-ik, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think-tank outside Seoul.
If Pyongyang refuses, authorities must direct the vessel to a port. UN members have been ordered not to provide suspected ships with services such as fuel.
