Commercial vessel activity at North Korea’s ports has increased fivefold since 2019, according to a report published Tuesday.
The surge in maritime traffic has reignited concerns that the regime is ramping up illegal coal exports to circumvent international sanctions.
The findings, co-published by a Seoul-based research institute, highlight a persistent challenge for enforcement agencies monitoring the Korean Peninsula’s maritime borders.
Despite strict UN Security Council resolutions banning the export of coal and other minerals, the volume of commercial ships docking at North Korean facilities has grown significantly over the past seven years.
This development adds another layer of complexity to the security environment in the region.
North Korea recently commissioned a new 5,000-ton destroyer, a move that intensifies the naval threat facing South Korea’s critical maritime trade lanes.