North Korean vessel loiters outside Russian port, raising arms trade concerns



Investigations North Korean vessel loiters outside Russian port, raising arms trade concerns Kum Ya has anchored outside Vladivostok for two months since visiting Rason, a key hub for DPRK weapons shipments Anton Sokolin October 15, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A photo uploaded to MarineTraffic purporting to show the Kum Ya berthed at a coal terminal in the port of Vanino, Russia on March 7, 2024 \| Image: Andrey Ru. via MarineTraffic A North Korean vessel known for skirting international sanctions has been loitering in waters outside of Vladivostok for over two months, with experts raising concerns that its voyages may be linked to the delivery of military cargo. The DPRK-flagged freighter Kum Ya (IMO 9004073) arrived just south of Vladivostok on Aug. 7 after sailing from the vicinity of Rason, a key hub for North Korean arms deliveries to Russia, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic, with the vessel anchoring at three different spots but not making a port call as of Oct. 15. It initially spent just over Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01What Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law gambit means for the Korean Peninsula 02Crop data suggests North Korea enjoyed strong harvest despite summer floods 03North Korea appears to start work on long-stalled Russia border bridge project 04Why a reported rise in North Korean wages won’t do much to improve welfare 05Top North Korean officials get bodyguards in likely security and status upgrade 06How Trump could reshape US strategy for countering North Korean cyber threats 07North Korea reveals new vertical take-off drones amid ‘modern warfare’ push 08How long-range strikes on Russia could impact North Korean troop deployments

Investigations

North Korean vessel loiters outside Russian port, raising arms trade concerns

Kum Ya has anchored outside Vladivostok for two months since visiting Rason, a key hub for DPRK weapons shipments

Anton Sokolin October 15, 2024

North Korean vessel loiters outside Russian port, raising arms trade concerns

A photo uploaded to MarineTraffic purporting to show the Kum Ya berthed at a coal terminal in the port of Vanino, Russia on March 7, 2024 | Image: Andrey Ru. via MarineTraffic

A North Korean vessel known for skirting international sanctions has been loitering in waters outside of Vladivostok for over two months, with experts raising concerns that its voyages may be linked to the delivery of military cargo.

The DPRK-flagged freighter Kum Ya (IMO 9004073) arrived just south of Vladivostok on Aug. 7 after sailing from the vicinity of Rason, a key hub for North Korean arms deliveries to Russia, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic, with the vessel anchoring at three different spots but not making a port call as of Oct. 15.

It initially spent just over

North Korean vessel loiters outside Russian port, raising arms trade concerns

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Anton Sokolin