North Korea has registered two former Chinese cargo ships as its own vessels, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) only recently reflecting the changes. VOA confirmed through the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) that the Pyeongwon-ho
and Jasong 23-ho
are now registered under the North Korean flag.
According to IMO data, the Pyeongwon-ho was previously flagged in China under the name Hang Yuan Xiang
, while the Jasong 23-ho operated as the Dong Hong Yun
. Both vessels had their names and flags changed to North Korean in the second half of 2024. The Pyeongwon-ho’s name was changed in August and its flag in October, while the Jasong 23-ho’s changes were recorded in October and November, respectively. This indicates the ships were registered as North Korean vessels approximately two years ago, but the information was only recently updated in the IMO database. North Korea has recently shown a pattern of reporting ships to the IMO months or even years after they were registered domestically.
Kum Sung and Sam Gang Companies Own the Vessels
The Pyeongwon-ho is owned by the Kum Sung Shipping Company based in Pyongyang, while the Jasong 23-ho is owned by the Sam Gang Shipping Company, also based in Pyongyang. Both vessels are general cargo ships built in 2009 and 2005, respectively, with a gross tonnage of approximately 3,000 tons.
Pattern of Vessel Acquisition
VOA has reported on multiple instances of secondhand cargo ships previously flagged in China being registered as North Korean vessels. In the past month alone, the Jin-jin-ho
, formerly a Chinese-flagged ship, was confirmed to have been re-registered as the Kyongsong 9-ho
. Additionally, IMO data shows that the Songdo 3-ho
and Potonggang 1-ho
, previously under Chinese flags, were newly registered as North Korean ships. This brings the total number of such vessels registered as North Korean by the IMO in 2024 to 11, based on VOA’s findings.
Potential UN Violations
Experts analyze that under international sanctions, North Korea faces constraints in acquiring new ships and is continuously importing relatively well-maintained foreign secondhand vessels to replace its aging fleet. The UN Security Council, through Resolution 2397 adopted in 2017, prohibits member states from supplying or selling, directly or indirectly, new or secondhand vessels to North Korea. Therefore, if North Korea purchased these secondhand ships from China, it would constitute a violation of the UN Security Council resolution.
