U.S. to track suspect N. Korean ships

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy plans to intercept suspect North Korean ships at sea and track them to their next port if they refuse to be inspected, U.S. officials said.

The ships would be those the Navy suspects are carrying weapons or nuclear technology, The New York Times reported. Suspect North Korean ships would first be hailed with a request to inspect them.

The Navy would not forcibly board a North Korean ship that refuses inspection, but track it to its next port, the report said. North Korea has said any forced boarding of its ships would be regarded as an act of war.

Under President Barack Obama's strategy, U.S. officials told the Times any ship refusing inspection would be reported to the U.N. Security Council, even as the Navy continues to track it. Simultaneously, the U.S. government will launch a vigorous diplomatic campaign to ensure the country that allows a suspect ship into its port also inspects it.

The U.N. Security Council's new resolution in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests last month calls for such inspections and also bars any arms shipments to the Communist country.

The Times report said the new sanctions also bar U.N. member nations from refueling or re-supplying ships suspected of carrying arms and nuclear technology. The resolution allows countries to seek to stop suspect North Korean shipments on high seas, but not to forcibly board the vessels.

A senior U.S. administration official told the Times there are enough U.S. intelligence and naval assets in the Sea of Japan to track North Korean ships and flights.