Smugglers may help North Korea survive latest sanctions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. Photo / AP

Major United States allies in Asia have welcomed on the United Nations Security Council's unanimous vote to step up sanctions on North Korea, but Russian smugglers may dampen the impact of the measures.

The new sanctions banned Pyongyang's profitable textile exports and capped fuel supplies.

Japan and South Korea said after the passage of the US-drafted Security Council resolution that they were prepared to apply more pressure if Pyongyang refused to end its aggressive development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

A tougher initial US draft was weakened to win the support of China, Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner, and Russia, both of which hold veto power in the council.

However, US authorities say Russian smugglers are scurrying to Pyongyang's aid with shipments of petroleum and other vital supplies that could help it weather the harsh new economic sanctions. The assessment casts further doubt on whether financial measures alone can force dictator Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons programme.

The spike in Russian exports is occurring as China - by far North Korea's biggest trading partner - is beginning to dramatically ratchet up the economic pressure on its troublesome neighbour.

Official documents and interviews point to a rise in tanker traffic this northern spring between North Korean ports and Vladivostok, the far-eastern Russian city near the small land border shared by the two countries.

US law enforcement officials who monitor sanction-busting activity say Russian entrepreneurs are seizing opportunities to make a quick profit, setting up a maze of front companies to conceal transactions and launder payments. Such trade could provide a lifeline to North Korea at a time when the US is seeking to deepen Kim's economic and political isolation in response to recent nuclear and missiles tests.

"As the Chinese cut off oil and gas, we're seeing them [North Korea] turn to Russia," said a senior official with detailed knowledge of smuggling operations. The official, one of several current and former US officials interviewed about the trend, insisted on anonymity in describing analyses based on intelligence and confidential informants.

"Whenever they are cut off from their primary supplier, they just try to get it from somewhere else," the official said.