Acting on a tip, Indonesia’s Navy detained the vessel, which identified itself as the “Wise Honest” from Sierra Leone. But when inspectors went aboard, they found two dozen crew members and registration documents indicating a different country of origin — North Korea. “If they see North Korean coal is cheaper to buy because it’s illegal, there’s an increased profit margin,” he said. The UN Security Council banned North Korean coal exports — the country’s largest source of external revenue — in August 2017, after Pyongyang carried out several missile launches. Part of that money was a commission payment for helping arrange sale of the Wise Honest coal, Griffiths said.

Source: National Post April 25, 2019 14:37 UTC