Editor’s Note
This article reports on new UK regulations banning imports from North Korea, citing the stated aim of curbing prohibited weapons programs and promoting regional stability.
The UK Department for International Trade (DIT) has announced regulations prohibiting imports from North Korea. The UK explained that the sanctions against North Korea are intended to curb North Korea’s capabilities related to its prohibited weapons programs and to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Reporter Park Hyung-joo reports.
The UK Department for International Trade posted a notice on its website on the 1st, introducing regulations prohibiting the import of specific ‘North Korean-origin’ goods.
The notice details the specific items subject to the import ban, exceptions, the licensing procedures required for attempting to import prohibited items, and legal penalties for violating the regulations.
Ahead of its formal withdrawal from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020, and Brexit, the UK enacted its own sanctions-related legislation against North Korea in March 2019, the ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019’.
The DIT stated that this law has been in effect since January of this year, replacing the previous EU-related laws with substantially the same effect.
The UK’s ‘DPRK (Sanctions) Regulations 2019’ imposes financial, trade, transport, and immigration sanctions to fulfill the UK’s obligations under a total of ten UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, from Resolution 1718 adopted in 2006 to Resolution 2397 adopted in December 2017, the DIT explained.
The UK’s sanctions law against North Korea broadly classifies prohibited import items from North Korea into four categories.
First, weapons and related materials, dual-use goods, and other materials related to weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are prohibited from import not only if they originate in North Korea but also if they are produced on commission elsewhere.
Additionally, the import of military supplies that could support or enhance the operational capabilities of armed forces of countries other than North Korea is also prohibited. However, food and medicine are exceptions.
Furthermore, minerals such as coal, iron ore, copper, and lead; food and agricultural products; luxury goods; machinery and electronic equipment; petroleum products; seafood; statues; textiles; ships; timber, etc., that originate in North Korea or are produced on commission by North Korea are also prohibited import items.
Moreover, precious metals such as gold and diamonds that are owned or controlled directly or indirectly by North Korean government officials or produced on their commission cannot be imported.
Exceptions apply to personal belongings of persons traveling to and from North Korea, items for official use by diplomatic missions and international organizations in North Korea, and personal belongings of diplomats stationed in North Korea.
Exceptions may also be granted for items certified as necessary for national security or for the prevention or detection of serious crime in the UK or elsewhere.
To import North Korean-origin goods subject to the import ban that are not exempt, a license must be obtained from the UK Department for International Trade.
The DIT explained that it reviews each case to determine if it aligns with the purpose of the sanctions regime or relevant international legal obligations such as those of the UN.
Violation of the UK’s ‘DPRK (Sanctions) Regulations 2019’ can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Previously, the UK government enacted the ‘Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020’ in July last year and, under this, sanctioned two North Korean public security agencies associated with the operation of North Korean political prison camps as its first targets.
This is VOA News, Park Hyung-joo.