US Confirms Standoff at Sea with North Korean Vessel

WASHINGTON — The United States confirmed on Monday that it blocked a North Korean vessel in the South China Sea last month, on suspicions that the ship was carrying a cargo of illegal materials to Burma in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation.

At a press briefing on Monday, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the US Navy sought to board the ship, the M/V Light, for inspection, but was refused.

“The ship’s master refusing US permission to board it, as well as the fact that it turned around and headed back to North Korea, speaks to some of our concerns about its cargo,” he said.

The ship reversed course only after the US “consulted closely with states in the region on our shared responsibilities to prevent this shipment,” he added, without confirming if China was among the countries consulted.

Toner said it was believed that the vessel was carrying a cargo that violated UN Security Council resolutions banning North Korea's trade in weapons.

“Given its track record, North Korea bears responsibility to be fully transparent about shipments that may provide grounds for concern and to demonstrate that it is not transferring items prohibited by UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and 1874,” he said.

“We talked directly with the North Koreans to stress the importance of not engaging in proliferation-related transfers.”

Asked if the US had spoken to Burma about the incident, Toner said that he wasn't aware of any communication with the country's reclusive leaders since the standoff occurred on May 26. However, he said that the US has “consistently called on them to comply fully with their own international nonproliferation obligations.”

At another news conference, Pentagon spokesman Col Dave Lapan said the US wanted to board the  North Korean ship, but decided not to even after it had received permission from the government of Belize, where the ship was registered.

“The fact that it turned back toward North Korea changed the circumstances. Had it continued on, there would have been further monitoring, there would have been further diplomatic discussions, there could have been other decisions that were made,” Lapan said.