KB News Desk
South Korea is detaining a cargo vessel found to have violated United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, marking one of Seoul’s rare enforcement actions under the international sanctions regime.
The Foreign Ministry said the vessel, Prada, entered Pyeongtaek Port, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, in March and was subjected to a joint investigation by relevant government agencies based on information indicating it had previously engaged in activities that violated UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
“The government investigation confirmed that the Prada had participated in activities in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and the vessel is currently being detained as a follow-up measure under the resolutions,” a ministry official said.
The vessel, also known as Sophia, was among seven ships named in a joint statement issued on May 29 by South Korea, the United States, Japan, the European Union’s diplomatic service and eight other countries. The statement urged a UN panel to swiftly designate the vessels for allegedly violating sanctions prohibiting North Korea’s exports of coal and iron ore.
According to the International Maritime Organization’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System, the Prada is registered under the flag of Tanzania. However, the vessel’s operating company is listed as Zhongxiang Shipping, which is based in the Marshall Islands.
US media outlet the Voice of America recently reported that the Prada had remained at Pyeongtaek Port since arriving on March 13.
Citing satellite imagery and data from the Open Source Centre, VOA reported that the vessel, while operating under the name Sophia, loaded coal at North Korea’s Nampho Port in September and December 2024, activities believed to violate UN sanctions banning North Korean coal exports.
