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South Korea announces new sanctions targeting North Korea submarines

By Elizabeth Shim
Seoul is planning to toughen sanctions targeting North Korea’s development of submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. File Photo by KCNA
Seoul is planning to toughen sanctions targeting North Korea’s development of submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. File Photo by KCNA

SEOUL, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- South Korea has placed 60 items related to North Korea submarine and submarine-launched ballistic missiles on a watch list, less than a week after Seoul introduced new embargoes penalizing North Korean officials.

The list includes core parts for submarines: high-tensile steel plates, communication systems and submarine batteries, local news service Newsis reported Thursday.

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Other banned items include anechoic tiles, or the bubble-filled rubbery coating that can make submarines less detectable, underwater enemy detection devices, mine-detection sensors, periscopes and torpedo tubes.

The purpose of the list is to block export channels for submarine parts that extend to North Korea, according to the report.

The measures will become a part of the government's announced plan to sanction North Korea, and cover areas that were not under the control of a pre-existing multilateral export control system, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

South Korea's export control system is a consultative body that prevents the spread of nuclear, missile and weapons of mass destruction-related goods and technology transfers.

Seoul plans to share the list with the 41 member states of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms during the organization's regular meeting in Vienna, Austria, according to the report.

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"We expect the measure to contribute to preventing the enhancement of North Korea's SLBM capacity by leading the international community through the control of exports to North Korea in the submarine sector," Seoul said.

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