# "Suspect" North Korean ship on the move



## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

From the Korea Times - 

_A North Korean ship, which the United States and Japan suspect of carrying military equipment, is on a voyage without any inspection after stopping at Hong Kong for refueling, a top South Korean security official confirmed yesterday.
Song Min-soon, the chief presidential secretary for security affairs, said at the National Assembly that the ship, named Ponghwasan, left Nampo of North Korea on Oct. 19 and has been sailing southward after fueling up at an outer port of Hong Kong.

His remarks came in response to a question by an opposition party lawmaker, who doubted China¡¯s volition to comply with the U.N. sanction on North Korea since its nuclear test on Oct. 9. ``I heard the Chinese authorities did not take any steps to inspect the ship,¡¯¡¯ he said.

Song added, as far as he understands, the North Korean ship is a refrigerator ship. ``China has a position that it would intercept North Korean ships if they are suspected of carrying materials related to military equipment,¡¯¡¯ he said.

In the meantime, Hong Kong has detained a North Korean cargo ship over suspected safety violations, the second such detention since U.N. sanctions mandated all North Korean ships be inspected for banned cargo, according to foreign news reports on Friday._ 

Rushie


----------

