South Korea probes tanker for smuggling oil to the North

Revelation comes ahead of Trump-Moon summit in Washington

20190404 South Korean tanker suspected of transferring oil to North Korea

A South Korean-flagged tanker suspected of illicit transfers of oil to North Korea has been held at the port of Busan since October. © AP

YOSUKE ONCHI, Nikkei staff writer

SEOUL -- Investigators are in the advanced stages of a probe into a South Korean-flagged oil tanker suspected of illicitly supplying 4,300 tons of petroleum products to North Korea through ship-to-ship transfers, it was learned on Wednesday.

The South Korean Coast Guard have held the P-Pioneer at a port in Busan since October, marking the first time a South Korean-flagged vessel has been detained for suspected violations of a United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution.

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