{"id":4202,"date":"2019-05-17T17:44:42","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T08:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4202"},"modified":"2019-05-17T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T08:57:53","slug":"fuel-regimes-lifeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/05\/recommendations\/fuel-regimes-lifeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Feuding Over Fuel: Regime\u2019s Lifeline Under Threat as China Arrests Gasoline Smugglers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Signs put up by Chinese security officials, banning smuggling and drug trafficking. Photograph taken in July 2017 by ISHIMARU Jiro<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Gas prices have stabilized- but why?<\/h2>\n

North Korea has been subjected to severe economic sanctions from the international community. In addition to its exports, imports of petroleum products such as gasoline are also strictly limited. The UN Security Council resolution \u2018No. 2397\u2019, adopted in December 2017, set a cap of exports of petroleum products to North Korea at 500,000 barrels. This marked a cut of nearly 90% compared to 2016 and was a big blow to the Kim Jong-un regime.<\/p>\n

Gasoline prices in North Korea rose immediately and, in 2018, prices exceeded more than 2.65 USD per liter. Half a year later, however, gasoline prices began to slowly fall back down.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of April this year, prices stabilized at about 1.27 USD per liter. This was likely due to gasoline imported from China or Russia, exceeding the cap set by the UN.
\nNext page : Petrol smuggled within bags of rice...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Petrol smuggled within bags of rice<\/h2>\n

There has also been active smuggling. In addition to \u2018transshipment\u2019, smuggling between ships at sea, it was discovered that shipments have been smuggled in overland from China.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner in North Korea, who has been investigating the smuggling, revealed that, \u201cIn the northern region of Ryanggang province, plastic containers filled with gasoline were disguised in bags of rice and smuggled in as food. Several times, I witnessed large quantities of gasoline being transported in 10-ton trucks from China.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, it is not individuals in North Korea who are importing the gasoline but several trading companies that have been approved by the Ryanggang Province Trading Bureau.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner continued, \u201cThey also trade in cash, but they regularly smuggle out herbs used in traditional medicine. In return, the companies receive smuggled shipments of gasoline, disguised as rice.\u201d<\/p>\n

This way of smuggling gasoline was brought to a halt in February 2019, however, when Chinese authorities strengthened enforcement of the sanctions.<\/p>\n

A cross-border trader living in China\u2019s Jilin Province told ASIAPRESS, \u201cWe smuggled the gasoline in bags of rice- fooling even the Chinese border guards. However, things have since changed. When the Chinese authorities began inspecting exports more thoroughly, their attitude towards smuggling gasoline also became very strict. So two gasoline smugglers were arrested in early March. At the end of March, a businessman who was planning to smuggle 5 tons of gasoline in bags of rice into North Korea was also caught- he is still in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is also reported that 3 women traders in Jilin Province were arrested and imprisoned in April for smuggling gasoline and diesel. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

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