Sanctions for Nam firms with N. Korean ties
The Japanese government has followed in the footsteps of the Trump administration by imposing sanctions against companies and individuals that support North Korea.
The sanctions have been imposed against the Chinese construction company, Qingdao Construction for its links with North Korea. This follows after Qingdao Construction took over four Namibian government construction projects from Mansudae Overseas Group of Companies, after the North Korean company was told to leave the country. Sanctions were also brought against Kim Tong-Chol who is listed as the managing director of Mansudae Overseas Projects and the deputy managing director of Qingdao Construction (Namibia). Mansuade Overseas Projects Architectural and Technical Services, the Namibian-based company of Mansuade, has also been sanctioned. Although Japan did not name any companies or individuals, it said it will impose fresh sanctions on North Korea by freezing the assets of Chinese and Namibian firms doing business with the nuclear-armed state. It is targeting six companies, four from China and two from Namibia, as well as one Chinese national and one North Korean.
The sanctions are aimed at disrupting the flow of cash that is funding North Korean weapons programmes which are in violation of UN resolutions.
The US on Tuesday however made the targeted companies and individuals that it is sanctioning public.
The US and its allies, particularly Japan and South Korea, have been on high alert in recent months as North Korea carried out successive missile tests.
In a statement the US said it has sanctioned Qingdao Construction for using North Korean workers to build statues overseas and generate revenue for the government of North Korea.
According to the US Treasury, Kim arranged for Qingdao Construction, to take over the four Namibian government construction projects as well as the employees and materials associated with the work.
Overseas labour is a source of revenue for the North Korean government, and the US Treasury contends that some of the labourers' income helped finance ballistic missile testing.
The treasury department also sanctioned Mansudae Overseas Projects for helping North Korean labourers work abroad, “usually in countries with authoritarian rulers, to build statues that immortalise the dictators.”
“Mansudae Overseas Projects (MOP) is known to have used these workers to build statues abroad to raise revenue. Some of the money has been used to fund the North Korean ballistic missiles programme,” the US Treasury said.
It continued, “Qingdao, a Namibia-based subsidiary of a Chinese company, was designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, MOP and Mansudae Overseas Projects Architectural and Technical Services (Pty) Limited. Kim Tong-Chol entered into an agreement with Qingdao wherein Qingdao would take over four Namibian government-sponsored construction projects, as well as MOP employees and materials associated with the projects.”
According to the US Treasury website Kim lives at 34 Herbst Street, Windhoek. His passport expires on 10 September.
The US brought sanctions against 10 companies and six individuals, the largest to date.
“Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and isolating them from the American financial system,” said US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region.”
MOP, North Korea's multinational, first entered Namibia to construct Heroes' Acre, however its business adventure in Namibia was cut short by the United Nations' security arm.
Namibia has commissioned the most public works by Mansudae Overseas Projects in Africa.
These includes the Heroes' Acre inaugurated August 2002, Okahandja Military Museum inaugurated 2004, State House of Namibia inaugurated 2008, and the Independence Memorial Museum inaugurated in 2014. Namibia informed the UN panel in July 2015 of the involvement of Mansudae in the construction of monuments and government buildings.
ELLANIE SMIT
The sanctions have been imposed against the Chinese construction company, Qingdao Construction for its links with North Korea. This follows after Qingdao Construction took over four Namibian government construction projects from Mansudae Overseas Group of Companies, after the North Korean company was told to leave the country. Sanctions were also brought against Kim Tong-Chol who is listed as the managing director of Mansudae Overseas Projects and the deputy managing director of Qingdao Construction (Namibia). Mansuade Overseas Projects Architectural and Technical Services, the Namibian-based company of Mansuade, has also been sanctioned. Although Japan did not name any companies or individuals, it said it will impose fresh sanctions on North Korea by freezing the assets of Chinese and Namibian firms doing business with the nuclear-armed state. It is targeting six companies, four from China and two from Namibia, as well as one Chinese national and one North Korean.
The sanctions are aimed at disrupting the flow of cash that is funding North Korean weapons programmes which are in violation of UN resolutions.
The US on Tuesday however made the targeted companies and individuals that it is sanctioning public.
The US and its allies, particularly Japan and South Korea, have been on high alert in recent months as North Korea carried out successive missile tests.
In a statement the US said it has sanctioned Qingdao Construction for using North Korean workers to build statues overseas and generate revenue for the government of North Korea.
According to the US Treasury, Kim arranged for Qingdao Construction, to take over the four Namibian government construction projects as well as the employees and materials associated with the work.
Overseas labour is a source of revenue for the North Korean government, and the US Treasury contends that some of the labourers' income helped finance ballistic missile testing.
The treasury department also sanctioned Mansudae Overseas Projects for helping North Korean labourers work abroad, “usually in countries with authoritarian rulers, to build statues that immortalise the dictators.”
“Mansudae Overseas Projects (MOP) is known to have used these workers to build statues abroad to raise revenue. Some of the money has been used to fund the North Korean ballistic missiles programme,” the US Treasury said.
It continued, “Qingdao, a Namibia-based subsidiary of a Chinese company, was designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, MOP and Mansudae Overseas Projects Architectural and Technical Services (Pty) Limited. Kim Tong-Chol entered into an agreement with Qingdao wherein Qingdao would take over four Namibian government-sponsored construction projects, as well as MOP employees and materials associated with the projects.”
According to the US Treasury website Kim lives at 34 Herbst Street, Windhoek. His passport expires on 10 September.
The US brought sanctions against 10 companies and six individuals, the largest to date.
“Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and isolating them from the American financial system,” said US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region.”
MOP, North Korea's multinational, first entered Namibia to construct Heroes' Acre, however its business adventure in Namibia was cut short by the United Nations' security arm.
Namibia has commissioned the most public works by Mansudae Overseas Projects in Africa.
These includes the Heroes' Acre inaugurated August 2002, Okahandja Military Museum inaugurated 2004, State House of Namibia inaugurated 2008, and the Independence Memorial Museum inaugurated in 2014. Namibia informed the UN panel in July 2015 of the involvement of Mansudae in the construction of monuments and government buildings.
ELLANIE SMIT
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