SEOUL, Feb. 09 (Yonhap) — Australia has launched surveillance activities against illegal transshipments involving North Korean vessels, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Thursday. According to the media outlet, citing an announcement by Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Australia is monitoring illegal maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels, which are prohibited by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
Austrailia will mobilize a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 patrol aircraft to Kadena Air Base in Japan under the UN Status of Forces Agreement. The activities will run through next month and is the 11th time since 2018 that Australia has conducted such activities.
Japan said it welcomes these activities for the effective implementation of UNSC resolutions by maintaining the solidarity of the international community for the dismantlement of all weapons of destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. To implement the UN resolutions, several countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, are conducting monitoring activities in response to illicit transshipments involving North Korean-flagged vessels.
source: fr.yna.co.kr
