Report: Ship making illicit North Korea transfer is of Chinese origin

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A Chinese firm is the proprietor of the Belize-registered tanker seen transferring cargo to a North Korean ship in the East China Sea on Tuesday, according to a recent press report.

The ship Wan Heng 11 is of Chinese origin and is in violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions Resolution 2375 for transferring illicit cargo, Voice of America reported Friday.

The sanctions were adopted in September of last year, following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

VOA confirmed the information with documents submitted to the Port State Control Committee of the Asia Pacific. The ship's corporate office, Zhejiang Wan Heng Shipping, is in Hong Kong, according to registration data.

The transfer was disclosed to the public by the Japanese government on Wednesday, when Tokyo released photos of the ship and a North Korean tanker, the Rye Song Gang 1, stopping in the East China Sea for the cargo transfer.

The heavy sanctions being levied against the Kim Jong Un regime is taking a toll and Kim may have instructed his subordinates to bring in investment amid economic struggle.

But according to a Russian scholar who recently visited the North Korean city of Sinuiju, people appear prosperous and busy.

Oleg Kiriyanov, a researcher with Moscow State University, said the city has more taxis than "two years ago," the time of his last visit, JTBC reported Friday.

Kiriyanov captured images of North Korean newlyweds taking souvenir photos at a local park, where vendors were selling food on skewers, the report states.

The analyst also had images of a North Korean children's performance, during which the building experienced a power outage, according to footage he shared with the South Korean television network.