North Korean letter on US-seized vessel under UN review

ANKARA

The UN confirmed on Tuesday that it is reviewing a North Korean request over the U.S.'s seizure of its cargo ship.

Spokesman of the UN chief Stephane Dujarric said a letter from North Korea to review the U.S. seizure had been "distributed and circulated", Seoul-based Yonhap news agency reported.

The U.S. Justice Department had announced on May 8 that it seized a North Korean cargo ship on suspicions of "transferring coal and machinery" in violation of UN and U.S. sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.

However, Pyongyang’s top envoy to the UN Kim Song wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week seeking "urgent measures" against the move.

Kim criticized the move as "unlawful and outrageous".

"We are, obviously, studying the letter as ... it relates to the issue of sanctions on the DPRK and actions taken in the implementation of those sanctions," Dujarric said.

"The questions relating to possible sanctions evasion and member states' implementation of Security Council resolutions are a matter for member states to address," he added.