South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed the National Assembly on Tuesday about its findings on Japan's reported violation of UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea.<br />Intelligence officials also filled in lawmakers on the latest goings-on in Pyeongyang.<br />Kim Mok-yeon has this report.<br />In a closed-door briefing addressing the National Assembly's intelligence committee,<br />National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon said that several foreign-flagged ships suspected of carrying North Korean coal had been detected coming in and out of Japan.<br />According to opposition party lawmaker Lee Eun-jae who was in the meeting, at least three suspected ships have been found making port calls in Japan recently.<br /><br />"The NIS explained that by looking at a website that analyzes shipping information, the Rich Glory, the Shining Rich and the Jin Long have been detected entering Japan's Naha and Noshiro ports."<br /><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 spy agency 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 /><br />During the meeting, the National Intelligence Service also 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 />Meanwhile, the NIS also reported that Pyeongyang has been suffering economically 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 /><br />Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
