N. Korea importing luxury goods via China despite sanctions: report+

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 Kyodo -
North Korea is still able to import luxury goods through China despite an
embargo under U.N. economic sanctions against the country, a U.S. congressional
report showed Friday.
The report on the implementation of the 2009 U.N. Security Council resolution
said, ''North Korea continues to use air and land routes through China with
little risk of inspection, and luxury goods from China and from other countries
through China continue to flow almost unabated to Pyongyang.''
It said China's ''minimalist approach'' to implementing sanctions on the North
has made it difficult to strengthen measures any further in a U.N. context.
''In addition, North Korea reportedly uses front companies in China to procure
items under sanction,'' the report said, adding that ''China constitutes a
large gap'' among countries that have approved economic sanctions under the
U.N. Security Council.
The report urged China to take a more firm stance toward Pyongyang, saying,
''China holds the key to implementing sanctions'' on North Korea.
The congressional report also noted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has
been providing luxury goods to government officials to solidify support for his
son Kim Jong Un to eventually take charge in another dynastic succession.
Senator Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana and ranking member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requested the compilation of the report.
Lugar said in a statement, ''China's less than rigorous approach toward
implementing sanctions targeting North Korea should be a wake-up call to the
White House in the ongoing development of its North Korea strategy.''
==Kyodo