South Korean officials revealed on Monday that the Coast Guard had arrested a man on charges of illegally providing fuel to North Korea via a Chinese vessel.
The oil dealer is accused of supplying 19,000 tons of diesel to the North during the October 2021-January 2022 period without government approval.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this is the first time that a ship-to-ship fuel transfer to North Korea involving South Korean and Chinese vessels has been cracked down on.
The suspects deployed the company's oil tanker for the transactions at a combined value of 18 billion won ($14.65 million).
The Coast Guard investigators pointed out that the tanker transported fuel to a Chinese ship in the South China Sea and the Chinese vessel then delivered the cargo to a North Korean ship.
Officials from the Chinese shipper received payment from North Korea and transferred it to the businessman's bank account.
Meanwhile, the accused man denied the charges but the investigators confirmed the crime through his communication records and customs and bank data.
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