국회, 오늘 정보위 업무보고…北어선 입항•남북미 회동 논의<br /><br />The National Assembly's intelligence committee was briefed by the National Intelligence Service this afternoon.<br />The NIS spoke of its findings on Japan's reported violation of UN Security council sanctions on North Korea, as well as the latest developments in Pyeongyang.<br />For more, we have our Kim Mok-yeon on the line for us.<br />Mok-yeon, lets's start with Japan, what did the NIS reveal?<br />Yes Daeun/Aram, the National Intelligence Service held a closed-door briefing with the National Assembly's intelligence committee. The spy agency said that several foreign-flagged ships suspected of carrying North Korean coal had been detected coming in and out of Japan.<br />According to Lee Eun-jae, from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, the Togo-flagged Shinning Rich and the Belize-flagged Jin Long, made port calls in Japan recently.<br />Last year, the Seoul government banned the ships from entering South Korea as they were confirmed to have brought North Korean resources to the South.<br />The NIS also said that despite its warning that the ships entry is a clear violation of the UN sanctions resolution, Japan is still allowing the entry and not actively taking appropriate measures.<br />Now Mok-yeon, what did the NIS have to say about their findings on North Korea?<br />Well first, the National Intelligence Service touched upon the latest Seoul-Pyeongyang-Washington summit, calling it a significant event that boosted stalled denuclearization talks.<br />It said that North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and first vice minister Choe Son-hui prepared for the trilateral summit, with the help of the Workers' Party's Unification Front Department.<br />In the upcoming Pyeongyang-Washington talks, the NIS told the committee that preparations for working-level negotiations are ongoing, and that it is likely that U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and former North Korean ambassador to Vietnam Kim Myong-gil will lead the talks.<br />Concerning reports that claimed North Korean nuclear negotiator Kim Hyok-chol had been executed as punishment for the failed Hanoi summit, the NIS said Kim appears to be alive.<br />The NIS also reported that Pyeongyang has been suffering from a sharp drop in trade and a shortage of foreign currency due to the ongoing international sanctions.<br />It said that Pyeongyang's trade volume dropped to 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, which is nearly half of the figure on-year, and that its trade deficit increased by 17.5 percent.<br />The NIS reportedly added that no unusual movement has been detected at the North's major nuclear facilities.<br />Back to you guys.<br />
