S. Korean tanker detained under suspicion of violating N. Korea sanctions: official

SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korea-flagged ship is currently in detainment at a port in the southern South Korean city of Busan, pending an investigation into suspicions that it may have violated U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.

The ship is suspected to have been involved in the ship-to-ship transfer of oil with a North Korean tanker, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The ship has been in detainment since October, the official added.

It marks the first case of a South Korea-flagged ship being detained under suspicions of violating international sanctions against the North.

The U.S. Department of Treasury earlier listed a South Korean vessel on a list of ships that may have carried out ship-to-ship transfers with North Korea, but the ship and its operators have been cleared of such suspicions following a South Korean investigation.
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