UN경제 봉쇄정책을 비웃듯이, 김정은이는 어떻게 고급벤츠차량을 손에 넣었을까? 새로운 추적기사에 충격적이다.

 미국이 주도한  북한에 대한 경제봉쇄 정책을 교묘히 피해서 김정은이가 필요한 고급품을 구입하는데, 많은 돈을 탕진하고 있지만, 기업들이 알게 모르게 협조하여, 그러한 봉쇄정책을 무용지물로  만드는, 아주 적절한 사례가, 지난 4월의 문재인, 김정일이가 판문점 정상회담시 타고왔던  고급 방탄 벤츠차가 어떻게 평양에 들어갔는가를 잘 보여주는 사례라 할수 있다. 미국의 동맹국으로 믿고 있는 일본, 한국의 항구를 이용했다는 점에 미국정부의 배신감은 더 커질것으로 보여진다.

CNN의 추적기사 보도 내용에 따르면 다음과 같은, 6개국의 항구를 거쳐 김정은이가 그렇게도 갖고싶어 했던 방탄무장된 벤츠차를 평양에 도착하게되는데,  정박했던 항구마다 다음 행선지를 다 알고 있었겠지만, 특히 부산항에서 다시 다른 화물선에 실어 러시아의 Nakhodka항으로 떠났을때는 분명히 최종 목적지가 평양이었음을 알았을 확률이 매우 높다는  생각을 지울수가 없었다는게 나의 생각이다.

이보고서를 작성한 Kuo씨는 다른 보고서 작성자와 함께 8개월 동안, 어떻게 해서 김정은이가 합법적으로 고급방탄 벤츠차들을 획득할수 있었는가를 조사한 것이다.  이들은 어떻게 해서 방탄벤츠차가 Rotterdam에서 평양까지 무사히 도착했나를 확인하기위해, 세관통관기록들, 선적날자, 선적확인서와 이동경로를 추적한 객관적인 서류들을 추적 조사한 것이다.
"우리의 추적과 세심한 조사 결론은  벤츠차량은 처음부터  평양으로 운송할려는 계획하에 이루어진 것으로 생각할수밖에 없었다" 라고 그는 설명한다.

보고서를 작성한 Kuo씨와 동료기자는 결론짖기를, 두대의 방탄용 벤츠세단은 Rotterdam항을 떠나 중국의 대련으로, 그다음에는 일본 오사카로, 그곳에서 다시 한국의 부산항을 거쳐, 다시 선적되여 DN5505로 불리는 화물선에 선적된 것이다.

선박 DN5505의 Transponder는 다시 작동시켰을때의 지점은 정확히 Transponder를 Turned off한 지점이었다. 그런데 방향이 반대로 선수를 돌렸고, 정확히 부산항으로 되돌아가고 있었다. 11월2일 이배는 부산항 세관에 신고하기를 석탄을 싣고 러시아의 Nakhodka항으로 향한다고 신고한것이다. 그러나 Nakhodka항의 입항신고서에는 이배가 입항했다는 기록이 전연 없었다.

이렇게 긴 항해는 뭔가 석연치 않은게  많았다. 이배가 한국의  부산항을 떠난후 바로 AIS system(바다에서 선박의 위치추적) 을 통해 확인된 바로는,  러시아의 Nakhodka 를 향해 항해후 10월5일에 도착한것이다라고  C4ADS를 발표한 것이다.

아래의 기사는 불란서 사진작가, Raphael Olivier 와 CNN이 묻고 답한 내용의  한구절이다.

CNN: 세계 어느곳에서도 보지못했던 북한의 건축양식을 보고, 귀하가 충격적이라고 느낀점은 무엇인가?

RO:구 쏘연방의 어느 도시를 갔을때, 원형의 디자인, 시멘트와 철근을 이용한, 오래전에 유행했던 미래지향적 스타일의 고급 엘리멘트로 건축됐음을 보게된다. 모스코바, 동유럽 그리고 중앙 아시아의 건축물들이 이와 같다는것을 볼수 있다.  그러나 그건축물들은 현대의 건축술에서는 사용돼지 않거나 버려진 건축기술인것이다.

즉 한마디로 요약하면 평양의 건축모양은, 공상과학영화를 촬영하기위해 셋트로 만들어 놓은것 같다고 할수 있다.

Mercedes의 실제 소유주인 Daimler사의 설명에 따르면, 어떻게 해서 그차량들이 평양에 배달됐는지를 알길이 없다는 것이다.
"우리회사는 북한과의 상거래가 지난 15년간 전연없었다. 우린 정확히 UN 경제봉쇄정책을 준수하고 있다. "

Joshua Berlinger, CNN

On June 14, 2018, two armored Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard vehicles were shipped from the Dutch Port of Rotterdam, heading out on a journey that would take months and see the cars transported thousands of miles through six countries, according to a new report from the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).

After stops in China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, the two cars -- each worth about $500,000 -- are believed to have been flown to their final destination, Pyongyang. And in the North Korean capital, there's only one customer who likely requires this type of ride.

The origin and journey of the two Mercedes luxury vehicles were exposed in the C4ADS report. CNN has not independently verified C4ADS' reporting.

Sanctions passed by the United Nations as punishment for Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development are supposed to bar companies and individuals from selling luxury goods to North Korea.

The exterior of a Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard. Credit: Daimler AG MediaPortal

C4ADS found that North Korea imported at least $191 million worth of luxury goods from 2015 to 2017, sourced from "as many as 90 countries" in violation of United Nations sanctions. Definitive figures are difficult to determine because there isn't a shared definition of what constitutes a "luxury item" and due to the surreptitious way North Korea imports such items.

The Mercedes-Maybach S600, however, is undoubtedly luxurious. It's equipped with leather massaging seats and armor to protect occupants from steel-core ammo fired from assault rifles and from explosive devices, according to Car and Driver.

Kim is usually seen being chauffeured in what's believed to be a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard armored limousine, which carries a price tag upwards of $1 million. It's believed that was the vehicle his security escort ran alongside of during his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last year.

Kim was also spotted with a Rolls-Royce last year.

Daimler, the company that owns Mercedes, told CNN it "has no indication on how the mentioned vehicles were delivered and where they come from."

"Our company has had no business connections with North Korea for far more than 15 years now and strictly complies with EU and US embargoes. To prevent deliveries to North Korea and to any of its embassies worldwide, Daimler has implemented a comprehensive export control process, which we consider appropriate and effective and which meets all requirements of the export control authorities," the company said in a statement to CNN.

"Sales of vehicles by third parties, especially of used vehicles, are beyond our control and responsibility. We always investigate the vehicles displayed on the photos in the media thoroughly. However, without the vehicle identification numbers it is impossible to find a concrete trace."

 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un steps out of a vehicle for a ceremony upon his departure from Russia, outside the railway station in the far-eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok on April 26.
 This does not appear to be one of the two vehicles discussed in the C4ADS report. Credit: Yuri Smityuk/TASS/Getty Images

C4ADS concluded that North Korea maintains a complex, constantly evolving series of schemes in order to obtain luxury goods, like Kim's cars, to get around global export controls. The report concluded Pyongyang has imported 803 luxury vehicles from 2015 to 2017, with the majority originating from Russian companies.

Why North Korea's capital is the 'perfect science fiction film set' 

"Not only are they continuing to use techniques that have been successful in disrupting traditional enforcement, but they're also sort of watching how we're tracking them and developing much more sophisticated techniques to continue to evade sanctions," said Jason Arterburn, a co-author of the C4ADS paper.

Lucas Kuo, another one of the report's co-authors, told CNN C4ADS' investigation aimed to "evaluate what were the deficiencies within the international system that allowed this activity to continue?"

The interior of a Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard. Credit: Daimler AG MediaPortal

Eight months of investigating

Kuo said it took himself and the report's co-authors eight months of investigating how Kim was able allegedly to obtain the Benzes. They scoured customs records, shipping data, bills of lading and other open-source documents to trace how the vehicles made their way from Rotterdam to Pyongyang.

"We think we built a pretty compelling case to say that these Mercedes were likely bound for North Korea," he said.

CNN has not independently verified C4ADS' reporting.

Kuo and his co-authors concluded that the two Mercedes left Rotterdam for Dalian, then made their way on to Osaka, Japan, and Busan, South Korea. From South Korea, they were shipped out on a vessel called the DN5505, per the bill of lading.

Chandeliers, marble and propaganda: Inside North Korea's metro system

That's when the journey gets murky. Shortly after the DN5505 left South Korea, it reported via its AIS system -- a way to locate ships at sea -- that its intended destination was the Russian city of Nakhodka, where it was estimated to arrive on October 5, according to C4ADS.

The rear exterior of a Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard. Credit: Daimler AG MediaPortal

However, the ship's AIS data stopped pinging locations from October 1 to 19, according to the report. Though AIS transponders do not ping when ships are far at sea, they could have been turned off -- a common tactic used by ships breaking sanctions law, experts say.

When the DN5505's transponder turned back on, the ship was spotted near where it originally disappeared, according to C4ADS, but this time heading in the opposite direction back to Busan. On November 2, the vessel submitted a bill of lading to South Korean customs authorities that showed the ship was transporting anthracite coal allegedly from Nakhodka. But in Nakhodka, "no record exists" of the DN5505's arrival, C4ADS said.

CNN has reached out to the Port of Nakhodka authorities for comment on the report.

A limousine belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un drives away after a wreath-laying ceremony at a World War II memorial in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on April 26. This does not appear to be one of the two vehicles discussed in the C4ADS report.

Back in Russia, on October 7 -- two days after the estimated arrival time of the DN5505 -- three Ilyushin-76 cargo jets operated by North Korea's state-run airline reportedly traveled from Pyongyang to Vladivostok. Those jets are often used to transport armored vehicles used by North Korea's elites, and are rarely spotted in in Vladivostok, C4ADS said.

"When asked for comment, the North Korean consulate in Vladivostok reportedly did not provide an explanation for the unscheduled flights on October 7," C4ADS said in its report.

Designers envision a subterranean bathhouse that could one day connect North and South Korea

"We have not uncovered direct evidence that the overlapping visits of the cargo jets and the DN5505 to the Russian Far East are related. However, given the heavy lift cargo capacity of the planes and their role in transporting Kim Jong Un's armored limousines, it is possible that the cargo jets could have loaded the Mercedes," the C4ADS report said.

A Rolls-Royce is visible as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in August 2018. Credit: US State Department/FILE

Dual use

While cracking down on luxury goods may not hurt North Korea as much as going after its valuable coal exports, identifying those who allegedly helped Kim get his cars could close off some loopholes, said George Lopez, a former member of the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea, which is charged with monitoring sanctions enforcement and efficacy.

C4ADS also claims that understanding how North Korea smuggles luxury goods could provide useful information to law enforcement attempting to stop Pyongyang's from obtaining more dangerous items with military or nuclear applications.

How Pyongyang's buildings reveal a nuanced visual history of the city

"North Korea acquires high-end luxury goods through the same overseas smuggling networks as other contraband. As a result, their detection and seizure could be a means to drive action against the Kim regime's core procurement operations," the report found.

"High-end luxury goods share key features with dual-use goods for North Korea's weapons program: they are scarce, specialized products with high monetary value and great symbolic importance for the Kim regime."

Top image: Kim Jong Un waves from his car upon his arrival in Vietnam on February 26, 2019 to attend the second US-North Korea summit. This does not appear to be one of the two vehicles discussed in the C4ADS report.

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/north-korea-luxury-vehicles-intl-hnk/index.html

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/07/18/2019071800041.html 

북한내 철도신설및 개량사업 꿈은 현실적으로 불가능,북한의 맹방 중국도 못하는데,목메는 문통의 흑막은?

문재인 정부의 북한내 철도 신설및 개량사업을 하려는 꿈은 실질적인 면에서 무척 어려운 현실에 부딪칠수밖에 없다. 미국이 주도한 북한의 UN경제 봉쇄정책이 풀리지 않는한 어림없는 한낯 꿈에 그칠 공산이 크다.  이유는 간단하다. 미북, 남북정상회담에서 약속한 김정은의 비핵화 실행의지가 거짖으로 판명났고, 북한주민은 굶주려 죽고있는데도, 오히려 김정은 Regime은 ICBM 개량사업을 비밀리에 하고있음이 증명됐기 때문에 북한에 대한 경제봉쇄정책이 미국을 비롯한 UN에서 다시 발동됐기 때문이다.

문재인 대통령의 한국이 아시아를 관통해서 중국과 시베리아를 연결하는 철도건설 구상에 대한 야망은 지정학적으로 현실성이 있다고 보는 사람은 없다.

그러나 이러한 야망을 현실화 시키기 위해서 첫번째 그가 하고져 한일은, 한국전쟁이후 남과 북한은 완전히 대적관계로 있어온 관계를 원활히 하고, 그러한 관계에서 철도를 다시 연결 시킨다는 점이다. 이러한 구상은 미국,일본을 비롯한 동맹국들사이에서는 냉담한 반응만 있을 뿐이다.

  이러한 남북 철도 연결 구상은 문대통령의 "새로운 경제개발 지도"에서 매우 중요한 부분이다. 문통은 왜 이렇게 남북철도연결,도로건설에 목을 매는가?  내가 문통이라면 그런 엄청난 돈을 한국경제 재건과 젊은이들 일자리 창출에  먼저 All in 하고 그다음에 지금처럼 긴박감이 사라지고 여유가 있어, 옆을 돌아볼수 있는 여유가 있을때, 생각해 봤어야 하는 국책사업인 것이다.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d346b7a4d32457a6333566d54/index.html 

 한국경제가 몰락직전까지 가는 최악의 상황인데도, 중국의 영문판 2019년,1월31일자 뉴스에 따르면 문재인 정부는  관계자를 북한 개성으로 파견하여, 철도와 도로연결과 시설 현대화를 하기위한 회합이 목요일, 즉 어제 열렸었다고 한다.  회담에 참석한자들은  남,북의  교통관련 고위급 인사들이라고 한다.  미국을 비롯한 UN관계자들이 경제봉쇄정책에 근거한 감시를 철저히 하고있는데..... 그것도 납북경협및 건설회의는 항상 북한 땅에서  이루어지고 있다는데, 그 뒷배경이 항상 국민들의 마음을 더 조리게 한다. 회의 참석하기위해 빈손으로 가지는 않았을 것이라는 전문가들의 추측은 전연 근거없는 걱정만은 아닌것으로 본다.

남한 경제가  잘돌아가야 세금을 더 걷던가 아님 다른 재원을 염출하여 북한을 도울수 있다는것을 이해 못하는 국민은 아무도 없을 것이다. 적와대 문통과 그찌라시들을 제외하고는.  그러나 이렇게 화려한 구상을 실현시키기위해서는, 북한 김정은 Regime의 진실성이 첫번째 전제 조건이 돼야 하는데, 지난 70년 동안 북한 체제가 해온 기록을 보면, 한국을 비롯한 서방세계가 북한 Regime을 믿게 할만한 행적이 하나도 없었고, 반대로 한국을 비롯한 주변 국가를 위협하고, 더 나아가서는 미국을 비롯한 서방 세계를 위협하기위해, 핵무기개발과 탄도미사일 개발에 국가 경제력을 다 투입하느라, 국민들은 매년 겨울을 나는데 수많은 북한 주민들이 굶어 죽게하는 엄청난 죄를 짖고 있어온, 나라가 아닌, 악마의 집단으로 오늘에 이르렀다. UN을 비롯한 전세계는 이들의 악마적 행위를 막기위해 최후 통첩으로 경제봉쇄정책을 실시해 오고 있는 중인데, 이에 제일 먼저 동조하고 협조했어야 할 한국의 문통 사회주의 정부는 미국및 UN의 감시망을 피해서, 거꾸로 북한 김정은  Regime에 물질적, 정신적, 국방정책에서 더퍼주지못해 안달인 것이다.

문통의 남북철도 연결및 도로건설은 화려함의 극치를 보여준다. 그러나 한국의  현재 경제 수준으로는 이사업을 완성하기위한 아무런 가능성은 전혀 있어보이지 않는다. 

결과적으로 이철도건설이 완성되면, 중국과  다시 연결되는것을 피할수없는데, 이럴경우 모든 지렛대는 중국에서 Control하게 되는데, 이를 한국민들이 수용하기에는 얽히고 설킨 좋지않은 경험들이 너무도 많다는것을 먼저 문통은 직시해야 한다.

김정은의 한반도 적화야욕은 더 강화되고있다. 그증거가  지난해에만  3번의 남북정상회담과, 한번의  미북정상회담이  전세계의 축복과 희망속에서 있었고,  김정은이가 철석같이 비핵화를 약속했었지만, 실질적으로 그는 그반대  방향으로,즉 핵무기확보 및 ICBM 생산을 해온것이 UN 및 미국의 첩보망에 걸린것이다.

며칠전에는  북한  김정은이가 한국군의 동계 방어군사훈련을 비난하고 나온것도,  "적반하장"의 정점을 찍는다. 김돼지의 요구데로라면 한국쪽은 군사적으로 아무런 방어를 위한 훈련도 하지 말아야하고, 오직 퍼주기만 해야된다는 논리다. 세상에  이런  논리를 따라하는 바보가, "문재인 집단"을 빼고 또 있을까?

중국은 동남아시아의 "라오스"를 비롯한  인접한 적은 나라들에 중국이 경제적 지원을 하여 사회기간 산업건설및 개량을 추진 했었는데, 그결과가 중국의 경제 발전에 발목을 잡는 결과를 초래한 사례를, 한국은 매우 조심스럽게 대북관계에서 참고해야 한다. 즉 하지 말아야 할 투자는 하지 말아야 한다는 교훈을 주는것이다

South Korea's rail dreams face harsh realities

Moon envisions a North-South link, but US sanction and funding hurdles loom

TOKYO/SEOUL -- Of all the ambitious railways being planned across Asia, few would have the geopolitical impact of President Moon Jae-in's vision of connecting South Korea with the Trans-China and Trans-Siberian railways. 

The first step in realizing this vision would be to reconnect the railways between South and North Korea, which have been largely severed since the Korean War.
Modernizing and reconnecting the railway systems of the two Koreas is a key part of Moon's "New Economic Map" initiative for the Korean Peninsula. He loaded the plan onto a USB flash drive and gave it to Kim Jong Un during their meeting in April.
Estimates for the rail plan vary widely, with some running as high as $35 billion to $50 billion.
Beyond cost, the U.S.-led international sanctions against the North are another potential obstacle for this grand plan. But Moon is determined to realize his vision and make the inter-Korean rapprochement he oversaw last year an irreversible process. In a symbolic first step toward that, the two Koreas in December conducted a joint 18-day inspection of North Korea's coastal railways.
South Korean Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee noted that a North Korean train on the Kaesong-Pyongyang route runs at only 20 kph, and described the system as "lousy." Samsung Securities estimated that it will cost 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion) to improve North Korea's two railways on the east and west coasts.
A link between the two countries could transform the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula, converting South Korea "from a geostrategic island into an integral part of the mainland of continental Asia," said Kent Calder, professor of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
"It would connect again huge China and much smaller Korea."

In 2014, China and North Korea agreed to link high-speed rail lines in Dandong, a Chinese city in the northeastern Liaoning Province, to several cities in North Korea, including Pyongyang. But the project has still not started.
China is already South Korea's biggest trading partner, surpassing the U.S. and Japan combined. China also accounts for 31% of foreign visitors to South Korea.
The rail link would bring even more tourists from China into the South, and allow more South Korean cars, smartphones and semiconductors to flow to China -- and possibly beyond.
In June, Moon visited Moscow for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, where he unveiled his idea of connecting the South Korean rail system with the Trans-Siberian Railway via North Korea.
"Korea anticipates that the Trans-Siberian railway will again reach Busan, the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula where I grew up, building on the permanent peace on the Peninsula," Moon said in an address to the Russian Duma.
Putin has made the development of the Russian Far East a priority, said James Brown, associate professor at Temple University Japan.
"Russia was always interested in controlling Korea because it was seen as being important for developing the rest of the Russian Far East," Brown said. "Economically, it seems they still believe that's true."
The rail line from Russia has so far reached only Rajin, a North Korean port near the Russia border.
An agreement signed with Russia in 2014 called for the line to extend across the Korean Peninsula to Pyongyang and on to the North Korean port of Nampo facing the Yellow Sea. It is a 20-year project that would have given Russia access to mineral resources in North Korea in exchange.
But Russia now appears more interested in reaching Busan in South Korea by creating a railway line along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
Its economic feasibility remains unclear. "The whole project sounds like a fantasy," said Lee Chanwoo, associate professor at Teikyo University Junior College in Tokyo.
That would leave a high-speed rail line with China as the more likely possibility. But the South Koreans have become cautious about this option, having seen how infrastructure projects in Laos and other small countries have resulted in economic domination by China.
"They have served as examples of what you should not do," Lee said.


https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/South-Korea-s-rail-dreams-face-harsh-realities