U.N. panel on N. Korea sanctions to inspect ports in Japan, S. Korea

NEW YORK, Dec. 5 Kyodo -
Members of an expert panel set up by the U.N. Security Council associated with
sanctions against North Korea are set to make an inspection tour of Japanese
and South Korean ports engaging in trade with North Korea, U.N. sources said
Saturday.
The sources unveiled a plan to send six members of the panel next week for
interviews with officials of South Korean authorities in Seoul as well as
fact-finding operations at Busan and other ports before they visit Japan for
similar activities.
They are likely to leave New York on Monday and stay in South Korea for about a
week. No details of their itinerary in Japan were immediately known, but they
are expected to interview officials in charge of port and harbor operations in
Tokyo and visit Yokohama and some other ports.
Specifically, they plan to conduct on-the-spot investigations into the work to
inspect cargo bound for North Korea, according to the sources.
The panel was established under a Security Council sanction adopted after North
Korea conducted its second nuclear test in May with the aim of discussing how
to effectively implement the sanctions against the country.
The panel began its activities in late October and will issue a final report
next May, which includes recommendations to the council.
In an interim report released last month, the panel said it had obtained
information about North Korea allegedly falsifying cargo lists and labels.
==Kyodo