| To
North Korea,
Outgoing UN
USg Feltman
Goes Dec 5-8,
Like
Predecessor
Pascoe, Lame
Duck
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Periscope,
Photos
UNITED NATIONS,
December 4 – After a lull, North
Korea fired a ballistic missile
on November 28. US President
Trump was briefed while it was
still in the air, his
spokesperson Sarah Huckabee
Sanders said
- making it a successful launch.
Now on December 4 the UN
announced that its outgoing head
of Political Affairs, American
diplomat Jeffrey Feltman, will
travel to North Korea from
December 5 to 8. UN spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said he
couldn't remember so high level
a UN visit; Inner City Press
pointed him to Feltman's
predecessor Lynn Pascoe's visit
in February 2010 with Kim
Won-soo. (Inner City Press
coverage here,
before Dujarric evicted
Inner City Press for covering
the UN's growing corruption.)
Here was the rest of the UN's
wan Q&A: "Q: You said his
trip was to discuss issues of
mutual interest – can you be
more specific? Does he plan to
meet Kim Jong Un? How about a
trip by the SG? A: The visit is
in response to a long standing
invitation from the authorities
for policy dialogue with
Pyongyang. We confirmed On Nov
30. It’ll be a wide-ranging
discussion; I won’t go into
detail.
There is – I’ll tell you
the meetings that are confirmed
now: the Foreign Minister, the
vice minister, and also
diplomatic colleagues and UN
officials. If there are
different meetings that take
place, we will confirm it. At
this point, the ones I’ve
outlined are the ones that will
take place. Q When was the last
time such a high UN official
went to NK? A Don’t know Q: What
about the SG doing his "good
offices" in North Korea? A: On
the issue of mediation, the SG
has said his good offices are
always available should they be
requested. That remains his
position. Nobody here is
interested in grand theatrical
gesture, we’re interested in
substance. Q: Can you be more
specific about Feltman's plans
in North Korea? What do you mean
about "policy dialogue?" A: I
will not be more specific on
policy dialogue, I think it
covers a wide array of issues.
Invite was given back in
September but only confirmed on
30 November. He will remain in
the Pyongyang area; when he
visits UN projects we’ll try to
get more detail. Q: Will he
visit the DMZ? A: I’m not aware
that he will go to the DMZ. This
is really policy discussion,
meeting with UN diplomats, and
focused on policy." But how long
with Feltman even stay in this
UN job he remained in for his
pension to vest, having been
appointed under Obama? We'll
have more on this. Back on
November 28 the UN Security
Council had a previously
scheduled 3 pm meeting about
foreign terrorist fighters, and
then one on North Korea at 4:30
pm on November 29. Now on
November 30, Trump has spoken
with South Korea's Moon Jae-in
and
issued this: "President Donald
J. Trump spoke today with
President Moon Jae-in of the
Republic of Korea for the second
time since North Korea launched
an intercontinental ballistic
missile on November 28.
The two leaders discussed next
steps to respond to this most
recent provocation by North
Korea, including how to bring
maximum pressure to bear on the
regime. The presidents
reiterated their strong
commitment to enhancing the
alliance’s deterrence and
defense capabilities. Both
leaders reaffirmed their strong
commitment to compelling North
Korea to return to the path of
denuclearization at any
cost. President Trump
committed to sending a
high-level delegation to the
2018 Pyeongchang Winter
Olympics." On November 29, USg
Jeff Feltman told the Council he
met with North Korea's
Ambassador and expressed the
deep concern of Antonio
Guterres. But he and Guterres
this year accepted a Kim
government nominee into
Feltman's Department of
Political Affairs. Photos here.
Typically, at the end there was
a whimper, Italy's Sebastiano
Cardi bragging how his country
paused DPRK diplomats and saying
there would be no Council
statement, it had all been
public. And? At 3 pm, entering
the prior Security Council
meeting about Lebanon, the
Council's president for November
Sebastiano Cardi said that no
written proposal for an outcome
of the meeting has been
circulated. French Ambassador
Francois Delattre spoke again of
tightening existing sanctions.
Periscope video of both, and
interstitial fill, here.
In the morning he said, "On
North Korea, the two key words
are full implementation of the
existing sanctions, and there is
still some margin here, and
tightening of the sanctions. So
we are working along these
lines." Earlier on November 29
US President Trump tweeted, "Just spoke to
President XI JINPING of China
concerning the provocative
actions of North Korea.
Additional major sanctions will
be imposed on North Korea today.
This situation will be
handled!" This gave rise
to a question to UN Security
Council president Sebastiano
Cardi, who asked, "The
President?" There was laughter.
Inner City Press tweeted video here.
Earlier still on November 29,
the US White House announced
that "President Donald J. Trump
spoke today with President Xi
Jinping of the People’s Republic
of China to discuss North
Korea’s latest missile
launch. President Trump
underscored the determination of
the United States to defend
ourselves and our allies from
the growing threat posed by the
North Korean regime. President
Trump emphasized the need for
China to use all available
levers to convince North Korea
to end its provocations and
return to the path of
denuclearization." At 12:30 pm
Korean time (10:30 pm in New
York), KCNA confirmed: ""Kim
Jong Un, Supreme Leader of our
Party, state and army, gave an
autographic order to test-fire
the newly developed
inter-continental ballistic
rocket Hwasong-15 on Nov. 28,
Juche 106." Now, as to November
28, the Council's outgoing
president Italy says, "we will
meet again at 3 pm to hold
closed consultations on 1701
report (Lebanon). USG Lacroix
and Deputy Special Coordinator
in Lebanon Philippe Lazzarini
are the confirmed briefers in
consultations. At the end of
this meeting, we will move to
the Open Chamber to discuss the
issue of nuclear
non-proliferation regime in
relation to Democratic People's
Republic of Korea. The briefers
will be Under-Secretary General
for Political Affairs Jeffrey
Feltman and Ambassador
Sebastiano Cardi, as Chair of
the Sanctions Committee 1718."
So will the Netherlands take
over that Committee when they
assume Italy's Council seat on
January 1? Feltman gave a speech
on November 28 at CFR what was
supposed to be live-streamed but
apparently wasn't. It ends with
a whimper. Trump spoke with
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, and issued this read out:
"President Donald J. Trump spoke
today with Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe of Japan to address North
Korea’s launch of an
intercontinental ballistic
missile that impacted within
Japan’s Exclusive Economic
Zone. The two leaders
agreed that the North Korean
regime’s provocative actions are
undermining its security and
further isolating it from the
international community.
The leaders reaffirmed their
commitment to combat the North
Korean threat." There will be a
meeting on North Korea on
November 28. This, from the US
Mission to the UN: "Ambassador
Haley and her counterparts from
Japan and the Republic of Korea
have requested an emergency UN
Security Council meeting to be
held in the open chamber in
response to North Korea’s latest
test of an intercontinental
ballistic missile. The Security
Council session will be held
tomorrow, Wednesday, November
29, around 4:30 p.m. EST."
During the November 28 meeting
on foreign fighters, US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
issued this: "The United States
strongly condemns North Korea’s
launch of what is likely an
intercontinental ballistic
missile into the Sea of Japan,
indiscriminately threatening its
neighbors, the region and global
stability. The DPRK’s relentless
pursuit of nuclear weapons and
the means to deliver them must
be reversed. Together the
international community must
continue to send a unified
message to North Korea that the
DPRK must abandon its WMD
programs. All nations must
continue strong economic and
diplomatic measures. In
addition to implementing all
existing UN sanctions, the
international community must
take additional measures to
enhance maritime security,
including the right to interdict
maritime traffic transporting
goods to and from the DPRK. The
United States, in partnership
with Canada, will convene a
meeting of the United Nations
Command Sending States to
include the Republic of Korea
and Japan and other key affected
countries to discuss how the
global community can counter
North Korea’s threat to
international peace.
Diplomatic options remain viable
and open, for now. The
United States remains committed
to finding a peaceful path to
denuclearization and to ending
belligerent actions by North
Korea." Amid talk of increased
enforcement of sanctions on
North Korea - including now U.S.
President Trump putting the
country back on the State
Sponsors of Terrorism list
- the US Comptroller of
the Currency has "rescued" a
Japanese bank from a sanctions
violation investigation, see
below, including Inner City
Press' scoop on no-notice. North
Korea responded on November 22,
verbally, putting on KCNA that
“by re-listing DPRK as a ‘state
sponsor of terrorism,’ the U.S.
openly revealed to the whole
world its intention to destroy
our ideology and system by using
all kinds of means and methods.
Our army and people are full of
rage and anger toward the
heinous gangsters who dared to
put the name of our sacred
country in this wretched list of
‘terrorism’ and are hardening
their will to settle all
accounts with those gangsters at
any time in any way." On
November 21, the US sanctioned
these: The following individual
has been added to OFAC's SDN
List:
SUN, Sidong, Liaoning, China;
DOB 11 May 1976; POB Dandong,
China; Gender Male; Passport
G55296890 (China) issued 15 Sep
2011 expires 14 Sep 2021;
National ID No.
210623197605112215 (individual)
[DPRK4].
The following entities have been
added to OFAC's SDN List:
DANDONG DONGYUAN INDUSTRIAL CO.,
LTD. (a.k.a. DANDONG DONGYUAN
INDUSTRIAL CO.; a.k.a. DANDONG
DONGYUAN INDUSTRY CO., LTD.),
No. 34-7, Zhenba Street,
Zhenxing District, Dandong
118001, China; Rm 3002 No 99 3 1
Binjiang Middle Rd, Zhenxing
District, Dandong, China;
D-U-N-S Number 542957624
[DPRK4].
DANDONG HONGDA TRADE CO. LTD.,
China; Room 301, No. 1 Building,
Business & Tourist Section,
Dandong, Liaoning, China
[DPRK4].
DANDONG KEHUA ECONOMY &
TRADE CO., LTD. (a.k.a. DANDONG
KEHUA ECONOMIC AND TRADE CO.
LTD.), China; Room 102, 1/F,
Antai Garden, Zhenxing District,
Dandong, Liaoning 118000, China
[DPRK4].
DANDONG XIANGHE TRADING CO.,
LTD. (a.k.a. DANDONG XIANGHE
TRADING CORPORATION; a.k.a.
DANDONG XIANGHE TRADING LTD. CO;
a.k.a. XIANGHE TRADE CO., LTD.),
China; No. 603, 2F, Jiadi
Square, Developing Zone,
Dandong, Liaoning, China; Beida
Rd., Pingxiang City, Chongzuo,
Guangxi 532600, China; Room 703,
No. 7 Building, Fangba, Yanjiang
Development Zone, Dandong, China
[DPRK4].
DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO LTD,
Changgyong 2-dong, Sosong-guyok,
Pyongyang, Korea, North;
Nationality of Registration
Korea, North; Company Number
5926921 [DPRK4].
KOREA DAEBONG SHIPPING CO, Ansan
1-dong, Pyongchon-guyok,
Pyongyang, Korea, North;
Nationality of Registration
Korea, North; Company Number
5145243 [DPRK4].
KOREA KUMBYOL TRADING COMPANY
(a.k.a. KUMBYOL TRADING; a.k.a.
KUMBYOL TRADING COMPANY OF NORTH
KOREAN WORKERS' PARTY),
Pyongyang, Korea, North [DPRK4].
KOREA RUNGRADO RYONGAK TRADING
CO, Pulgunkori 2-dong,
Potonggang-guyok, Pyongyang,
Korea, North; Nationality of
Registration Korea, North;
Company Number 5787653 [DPRK4].
KOREA RUNGRADO SHIPPING CO,
Pulgunkori 1-dong,
Potonggang-guyok, Pyongyang,
Korea, North; Nationality of
Registration Korea, North;
Company Number 1414592 [DPRK4].
KOREA SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION
CORPORATION (a.k.a. NAM NAM
GENERAL CORPORATION; a.k.a.
NAM-NAM (SOUTH-SOUTH)
COOPERATIVE GENERAL COMPANY),
Central District, Pyongyang,
Korea, North; China; Russia;
Poland [DPRK3].
MARITIME ADMINISTRATION OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF
KOREA (a.k.a. MARITIME
ADMINISTRATION BUREAU),
Pyongyang, Korea, North [DPRK3].
MINISTRY OF LAND AND MARITIME
TRANSPORTATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
(a.k.a. MINISTRY OF LAND AND
MARINE TRANSPORT), Korea, North
[DPRK3].
YUSONG SHIPPING CO, Uiam-dong,
Taedonggang-guyok, Pyongyang,
Korea, North; Nationality of
Registration Korea, North;
Company Number 5146578 [DPRK4].
The following vessels have been
added to OFAC's SDN List:
7-28 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8898831 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: YUSONG SHIPPING CO).
JANG GYONG Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8203933 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO
LTD).
KANG SONG 1 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
6908096 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA KUMBYOL TRADING
COMPANY).
KU BONG RYONG Democratic
People's Republic of Korea flag;
Vessel Registration
Identification IMO 8983404
(vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked To:
KOREA KUMBYOL TRADING COMPANY).
KUM SONG 3 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8661850 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO
LTD).
KUM SONG 5 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8661719 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO
LTD).
KUM SONG 7 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8739396 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO
LTD).
KUM UN SAN 3 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8705539 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: DAWN MARINE MANAGEMENT CO
LTD).
PU HUNG 1 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8703933 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA RUNGRADO SHIPPING CO).
RAK RANG Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
7506118 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA DAEBONG SHIPPING CO).
RUNG RA 1 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8713457 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA RUNGRADO RYONGAK
TRADING CO).
RUNG RA 2 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
9020534 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA RUNGRADO RYONGAK
TRADING CO).
RUNG RA DO Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8989795 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA RUNGRADO SHIPPING CO).
RYE SONG GANG 1 Democratic
People's Republic of Korea flag;
Vessel Registration
Identification IMO 7389704
(vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked To:
KOREA KUMBYOL TRADING COMPANY).
SO BAEK SAN Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8658267 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA KUMBYOL TRADING
COMPANY).
WON SAN 2 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
9159787 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: YUSONG SHIPPING CO).
YANG GAK DO Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
6401828 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: KOREA RUNGRADO SHIPPING CO).
YU SONG 12 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
9096791 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: YUSONG SHIPPING CO).
YU SONG 7 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8400854 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: YUSONG SHIPPING CO).
ZA RYOK 2 Democratic People's
Republic of Korea flag; Vessel
Registration Identification IMO
8898738 (vessel) [DPRK4] (Linked
To: YUSONG SHIPPING CO).
The following deletions have
been made to OFAC's SDN List:
QASEM, Talat Fouad; DOB 02 Jun
1957; alt. DOB 03 Jun 1957; POB
Al Mina, Egypt; Propaganda
Leader of ISLAMIC GAMA'AT
(individual) [SDT].
Trump on November 20 said,
"Today, the United States is
designating North Korea as a
state sponsor of
terrorism. It should have
happened a long time ago.
It should have happened years
ago. In addition to threatening
the world by nuclear
devastation, North Korea has
repeatedly supported acts of
international terrorism,
including assassinations on
foreign soil. As we take this
action today, our thoughts to
turn to Otto Warmbier, a
wonderful young man, and the
countless others so brutally
affected by the North Korean
oppression. This
designation will impose further
sanctions and penalties on North
Korea and related persons, and
supports our maximum pressure
campaign to isolate the
murderous regime that you've all
been reading about and, in some
cases, writing about. Tomorrow,
the Treasury Department will be
announcing an additional
sanction, and a very large one,
on North Korea. This will
be going on over the next two
weeks. It will be the
highest level of sanctions by
the time it's finished over a
two-week period. The North
Korean regime must be
lawful. It must end its
unlawful nuclear and ballistic
missile development, and cease
all support for international
terrorism -- which it is not
doing." Inner City Press then
asked UN deputy spokesman Farhan
Haq if this meant the UN's World
Property Organization would stop
helping North Korea with cyanide
patents. It's just a US thing,
he said. So's this: a November
13 letter from the New York
State Department of Financial
Services cites Bank of
Tokyo-Mitsubishi for “continuing
compliance failures in Hong
Kong, which has a 'repeat
transaction' program for certain
high risk clients in Chinese
cities bordering North Korea.
The repeat transaction program
results in not more but less
scrutiny of these clients
transactions.” The NYSDFS letter
also notes that BTMU has
processed transaction through
its New York branch for “Burmese
parties” on the OFAC sanctions
list. How did Bank of
Tokyo-Mitsubishi react to the
New York regulator's
investigation of these issues?
It applied on October 30 to
switch to the more lax Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency
and had its application approved
in a mere week, then threw the
state regulators out of its New
York branch on Sixth Avenue. All
this just a few blocks from the
United Nations whose Security
Council, on which Japan has a
seat until the end of the year,
has imposed rounds of sanctions
on North Korea for its nuclear
weapons program, and was set to
vote
for a new UN Special Envoy on
Myanmar, or Burma, on November
16. What's going on? Now Inner
City Press can exclusively
report a further outrage, not
included in the NYSDFS letter
nor a Wall Street Journal
article which quoted it. The OCC
gave its approval in a week even
while belatedly listing Bank of
Tokyo - Mitsubishi's filings
under "THESE APPLICATIONS
APPEARED INCORRECTLY IN A PRIOR
WEEKLY BULLETIN." Photo here;
link to Bulletin here.
The public, as is the trend
under the OCC, was cut out. The
face savings compliance
agreement, here,
does not cure or address this. The OCC is lax not
only in sanctions compliance and
absurdly short comment periods
on corporate applications - it
also markets itself to banks as
being “flexible” on other
compliance issues including the
U.S. Community Reinvestment Act.
Recently the OCC announced that
even a rare less than
satisfactory CRA rating would
not bar approval of a bank's
application, click here
for that Inner City Press
coverage. A new Comptroller,
Joseph Otting formerly of
OneWest Bank, is set to be
confirmed by the U.S. Senate
this week, even while the OCC
has refused to answer a pending
Press (and CRC) request under
the Freedom of Information Act.
A lawsuit has now been filed.
What will a FOIA request into
the OCC's communications with
Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi
yield? Watch this site.
***
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
UN Office: S-303,
UN, NY 10017 USA
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in
the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright
2006-2015 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
for
|
,
