Coal at North Korea's Rajin Harbor. This photo taken on November 20, 2017, shows cranes and coal at Rajin harbor in North Korea's northeast city of Rason, near the borders of both China and Russia. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
A North Korean ship believed to have been smuggling coal sank in February after colliding with a Chinese vessel, South Korean media reported Thursday.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the North Korean Embassy in China with emailed requests for comment.
Why It Matters
The United Nations Security Council in 2017 passed a resolution banning Pyongyang's exports of coal, iron ore, seafood, and a number of other resources in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's advancing intercontinental ballistic missile program.
What To Know
The collision took place in the Yellow Sea, known on the Korean Peninsula as the West Sea, near a port in southeastern China, reported The Yonhap News Agency citing a source familiar with the matter.
Chinese first responders managed to rescue a few of the crew members of the stricken ship, while around 15 to 20 North Korean crew members are believed to have died.
The North Korean crew had reportedly switched off the ship's automatic identification system (AIS), a common practice when seeking to avoid detection.
The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, mandates the use of AIS to prevent collisions and improve tracking.
The Chinese vessel was said to have sustained only minor damage.
Smuggling constitutes a major source of North Korea's illegal revenue, with coal shipments alone earning the regime about $2.15 billion between 2017 and 2023, the Seoul-based Institute National Security Strategy think tank wrote in an August 2024 report. Sales of sanctioned refined oil were estimated to have brought in nearly $1.8 billion.
What People Are Saying
Hong Jae-hwan, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, was quoted by The Korea Times : [North Korean coal] is still in high demand in China. Although Chinese customs officials crack down on smuggling in accordance with the law, it's difficult to track all the activities of smugglers because their networks are vast."
Sung-jun Bae, a visiting fellow for the Stimson Center's Korea Program, wrote in a December report: "A widely known smuggling method involves North Korea working with Chinese business people to fake documents or tamper with ship tracking systems to hide their location...Coal from North Korea, mostly anthracite, makes up approximately 9 percent of China's total coal imports. North Korean coal is known for its quality and low price, and China accounts for more than 50 percent of the world's total coal demand."
What Happens Next?
Neither Pyongyang nor Beijing issued a public statement about the alleged collision.
Related Articles
North Korea Puts Out 'First Nuclear War' Warning
North Korea Blasts US 'War Rehearsal'
Triple Threat: US Sends More Spy Planes To Watch China and Its Allies
North Koreans Pivotal to Russia's Kursk Gains: 'Running Across Fields'
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 8:10 AM.