ID :
55380
Tue, 04/14/2009 - 16:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/55380
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Nine N. Korean ships subject to PSI in int'l waters: officials
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- A total of nine North Korean ships are subject to
possible inspection if they pass through international waters, as they are
registered with countries affected by a U.S.-led anti-proliferation drive, Seoul
officials said Tuesday.
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) member nations can stop, interdict and
seize ships suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction and related
materials only if they are registered with PSI participants or countries who have
signed a bilateral shipboarding pact with the United States.
Among ships operated by North Koreans, only nine of them are registered with
applicable nations -- Belize and Mongolia -- and thus are subject to PSI
operations in international waters, government officials said on condition of
anonymity.
North Korea's other internationally-registered vessels are checked in with
Cambodia, China and Honduras, which are not PSI members and do not have
shipboarding pacts with the U.S., the officials said.
"For other ships, there are no legal grounds to interdict them under the PSI,"
said one official who is well-versed in North Korean affairs.
The ships are commercial vessels owned by North Koreans but have been registered
in foreign countries for tax reasons, the officials explained. The total number
of North Korea's foreign-registered ships is not known, they said.
In territorial waters, however, PSI participants may examine any suspicious North
Korean ship regardless of its registration.
The PSI has 94 member states, including 15 core countries and about 60 irregular
participants.
As Seoul leans towards full participation in the initiative, an escalation from
its previous status as an observer, North Korean-owned ships may soon be subject
to interdiction in South Korean waters. Russia and Japan are already full
participants.
North Korea has warned it would regard South Korea's entrance into the PSI as a
declaration of war.
Seoul and Pyongyang signed a bilateral shipping treaty in 2005 to allow
commercial ships to use their territorial waters. Under the agreement, they may
stop and interdict ships suspected of carrying illegal materials but can only
expel them in case of violation. The PSI grants the right to seize violators.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- A total of nine North Korean ships are subject to
possible inspection if they pass through international waters, as they are
registered with countries affected by a U.S.-led anti-proliferation drive, Seoul
officials said Tuesday.
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) member nations can stop, interdict and
seize ships suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction and related
materials only if they are registered with PSI participants or countries who have
signed a bilateral shipboarding pact with the United States.
Among ships operated by North Koreans, only nine of them are registered with
applicable nations -- Belize and Mongolia -- and thus are subject to PSI
operations in international waters, government officials said on condition of
anonymity.
North Korea's other internationally-registered vessels are checked in with
Cambodia, China and Honduras, which are not PSI members and do not have
shipboarding pacts with the U.S., the officials said.
"For other ships, there are no legal grounds to interdict them under the PSI,"
said one official who is well-versed in North Korean affairs.
The ships are commercial vessels owned by North Koreans but have been registered
in foreign countries for tax reasons, the officials explained. The total number
of North Korea's foreign-registered ships is not known, they said.
In territorial waters, however, PSI participants may examine any suspicious North
Korean ship regardless of its registration.
The PSI has 94 member states, including 15 core countries and about 60 irregular
participants.
As Seoul leans towards full participation in the initiative, an escalation from
its previous status as an observer, North Korean-owned ships may soon be subject
to interdiction in South Korean waters. Russia and Japan are already full
participants.
North Korea has warned it would regard South Korea's entrance into the PSI as a
declaration of war.
Seoul and Pyongyang signed a bilateral shipping treaty in 2005 to allow
commercial ships to use their territorial waters. Under the agreement, they may
stop and interdict ships suspected of carrying illegal materials but can only
expel them in case of violation. The PSI grants the right to seize violators.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
