Three South Korean firms were caught importing coal and iron from the North last year, Seoul said Friday, in an apparent violation of UN sanctions imposed in August 2017 on the nuclear-armed state. More than 35,000 tonnes of North Korean coal and iron worth 6.6 billion won ($5.8 million) were imported into the South between April and October last year, the Korea Customs Service said.
In addition to breaking South Korean law, some of the shipments were likely in breach of UN resolutions as well, with the customs service warning that "any ships that are believed to have violated UN sanctions will be impounded or banned from entering South Korean ports".