UN data shows that the UN Security Council sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s coal earnings were not thoroughly implemented.
 
Under the UNSC Resolution 2321 adopted in November last year, North Korea is not allowed to export more than one million tons of coal or bring in more than 53-point-49 million U.S. dollars in coal sales, whichever limit is met first, for the period between November 30th and December 31st.
 
However, countries’ coal imports from North Korea were estimated at two million tons, or 183-point-four million U.S. dollars, for last December alone.
 
Comparable data for January was tallied at one-point-44 million tons, which is about 20 percent of seven-and-a-half million tons, the cap set by the resolution for this year.
 
The UNSC’s sanctions committee, which compiled the data, did not disclose  importers of North Korean coal, but the data appears to be mainly based on figures from China, which imports over 90 percent of North Korean coal exports.
 
China announced on Saturday an import ban on North Korean coal for this year, but it appears to be a strategic move to show the world that Beijing is faithfully implementing UN sanctions after importing a large quantity of coal. 

[Photo : ]