Ship linked to North Korea arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: US State Dept.

A ship, identified by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) as the North Korean registered cargo ship Angara, is seen docked alongside a larger vessel at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipbuilding wharf in Zhoushan, China Feb. 11, in a satellite image. Reuters-Yonhap

A Russian vessel, reportedly implicated in North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, is moored in China, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, adding to speculation about Beijing's support for Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine.

The spokesperson made the remarks as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in China, where he plans to discuss with senior Beijing officials a range of regional and global issues, including the war in Ukraine and North Korean threats.

Citing Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Reuters has reported that the ship in question has been docked at a Chinese shipyard in eastern Zhejiang province since February.

"We are aware of credible, open-source reports that the Russian vessel ANGARA is currently moored in a PRC port and have raised this issue with PRC authorities," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency.

PRC stands for China's official name, the People's Republic of China.

"Media and NGO reports implicate the ANGARA for its direct involvement with a group of Russian cargo vessels conducting deliveries of military equipment and munitions from the DPRK to Russia — activities that are prohibited by certain DPRK-related U.N. Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs)," the spokesperson added.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The official reiterated that during his visit to China, Blinken will discuss a "range of concerns," including North Korea.

In the lead-up to his trip, a senior State Department official said that in China, Blinken will express Washington's "deep concerns" over Beijing's support for Russia's industrial base and discuss Pyongyang's "threatening rhetoric and reckless actions."

The spokesperson renewed calls for all U.N. member states to fulfill their obligations under UNSCR 2397.

Adopted in 2017 in response to the North's launch of a long-range ballistic missile, the resolution strengthens measures to address the North's illicit exports of prohibited items and illicit imports of petroleum through deceptive maritime practices by requiring member states to seize, inspect and freeze any vessel in their territorial waters for involvement in prohibited activities.

Pyongyang has shipped over 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September, as well as several dozen ballistic missiles, according to the U.S. government, as Moscow strives to replenish its weapons stockpile for use in Ukraine. (Yonhap)