North Korea accused of illegal coal, mineral exports in 2025

South Korea has accused North Korea of continuing a massive, illicit trade network, alleging that Pyongyang illegally exported 1.5 million tons of coal and minerals last year in direct violation of United Nations sanctions.

According to Seoul’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), North Korea's prohibited trade lines also flowed inward. The agency assessed that Pyongyang’s refined oil imports from China and Russia in 2025 exceeded the UN-mandated 500,000-barrel cap by more than seven times, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

The details were made public by Yu Yong-weon, a lawmaker from South Korea's main opposition People Power Party. Yu stated that North Korea has sustained its illicit shipments of completely banned minerals, such as coal and iron ore, by utilizing both its own state-flagged fleet and foreign-flagged cargo vessels from China, Russia, and third-party nations.

"In particular, North Korea's coal exports were estimated at around 1.5 million tons," Yu noted. "It is believed to have recently sought to increase exports to China and third countries by falsely labeling the coal as Russian in origin."

UN Security Council resolutions strictly prohibit North Korea from exporting coal, iron ore, and other minerals. These restrictions are designed to choke off the critical foreign revenue streams used by the regime to fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs.

The NIS report further highlighted the deep geopolitical ties keeping the isolated nation afloat, pointing out that North Korea continues to secure steady oil supplies from China and its primary logistics lifeline, Russia. The spy agency also alleged that between September 2023 and April, Pyongyang shipped vast stockpiles of artillery shells and hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles to aid Moscow’s war efforts, reportedly receiving advanced Russian drone and missile military technologies in return.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada