China's refined oil supplies to N. Korea hit 13-month high in Aug.: U.N. report

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) -- China supplied about 12,000 barrels of refined oil to North Korea in August, the largest monthly shipments in 13 months, a U.N. report showed Tuesday.

According to the report posted on the website of the U.N. sanctions committee on North Korea, China's monthly supplies of refined oil to its communist ally came to 11,745 barrels, or 1,410 tons, in August.

The amount represented the largest since July last year when the corresponding figure stood at 12,479 barrels.

During the January-August period, China's cumulative refined oil supplies to the North stood at 38,334 barrels, the report showed. This marked a slight increase from 37,152 barrels tallied a year earlier.

Russia has not declared its monthly shipments of refined oil to the North for July and August. Previous U.N. reports showed that Moscow had supplied no refined oil to Pyongyang since October last year until June this year.

China and Russia are major suppliers of key materials to the North.

Those declared figures are still far below 500,000 barrels, an annual import ceiling imposed under a U.N. resolution adopted in 2017 following the North's launch of a long-range missile. The resolution calls for member states to declare the amount of their refined oil shipments to North Korea every month.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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