Government Replies to parliamentary questions about North Korea’s continued nuclear activities in violation of its commitments to abandon all nuclear programmes; the breaking of UN sanctions and the impact of COVID-19 in North Korea, in particular in prisons and prison camps.

May 5, 2020 | News

 

Government Replies to parliamentary questions about North Korea’s continued nuclear activities in violation of its commitments to abandon all nuclear programmes; the breaking of UN sanctions and the impact of COVID-19 in North Korea, in particular in prisons and prison camps.

 

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3231):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool:


To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 in North Korea, in particular in prisons and prison camps in that country; what representations they are making to the government of North Korea about COVID-19; what humanitarian assistance they are providing to that country; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which international humanitarian assistance is reaching those in need in that country unconditionally. (HL3231)

Tabled on: 21 April 2020

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The North Korean government insist that there have been no cases of COVID-19 in the country. North Korea’s border lockdown in response to the virus has prevented aid shipments from entering the country since January and restrictions on internal movement, including for UN agencies and NGOs, has severely impacted the distribution of aid and support. We assess that the country’s humanitarian need is likely increasing as a result, especially in the countryside and other vulnerable communities. The UN estimates that just over ten million people are in urgent need of food assistance.

The Department for International Development is providing multilateral funds to the UN and other international organisations providing humanitarian assistance in North Korea, including the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) in response to COVID-19. As a country of concern in the GHRP, North Korea is receiving funds from this global appeal. We continue to make clear to the North Korean government that international support is available, and urge them to restore international access and monitoring for humanitarian assistance.

Date and time of answer: 05 May 2020 at 12:09.

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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3228):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of North Korea is in violation of UN sanctions prohibiting the export of coal and restricting the import of refined petroleum; what representations they have made to that government about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of China about reports that it assisted North Korea in its trade of such products. (HL3228)

Tabled on: 21 April 2020

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The British government has been very clear that international law must be upheld, and that UN sanctions put in place to combat North Korea’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes must be fully enforced. We judge that North Korea continues the illicit maritime export of commodities such as coal, and that it is highly likely North Korea has breached the oil imports cap permitted under UN Security Council resolutions. We have raised our concerns with UN Security Council members, including China. The UK calls for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea.

Date and time of answer: 05 May 2020 at 12:08.

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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3230):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of North Korea’s imports of refined petroleum products exceeded the annual limit imposed by the United Nations by up to eight times in the first ten months of 2019. (HL3230)

Tabled on: 21 April 2020

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The British government is committed to upholding international sanctions on North Korea and is working with partners to curtail North Korea’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The UK is concerned about North Korea’s evasion of UN sanctions, including ship-to-ship transfers of unrefined petroleum and the illicit maritime export of commodities. Our assessment is that it is highly likely that North Korea has breached the cap in oil imports permitted under UN Security Council resolutions, and we have raised our concerns with UN Security Council members.

Date and time of answer: 05 May 2020 at 12:05.

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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3229):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of North Korea has continued nuclear activities in violation of its commitments to abandon all nuclear programmes; and what representations they have made to that government about such reports. (HL3229)

Tabled on: 21 April 2020

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The British government is very concerned at the continued development of North Korea’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The recent UN Panel of Experts’ report highlighted that there had been 13 sets of ballistic missile launches in 2019, and there have been a further 4 sets of ballistic missile launches this year. These launches are a breach of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. We have raised our concerns with the government of North Korea, as well as with international partners through the United Nations Security Council. We encourage North Korea to return to meaningful negotiations with the United States.

Date and time of answer: 05 May 2020 at 12:03.

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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3227):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to reports that the government of North Korea’s traded oil and coal products in 2019, what assessment they have made of the compliance of that government with international sanctions. (HL3227)

Tabled on: 21 April 2020

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The British government is committed to upholding sanctions on North Korea and is working with international partners to curtail North Korea’s nuclear and missile capability. The UK is concerned about North Korea’s evasion of UN sanctions, including via ship-to-ship transfers of unrefined petroleum and the illicit maritime export of commodities, including coal. The British government agrees with the UN Panel of Experts’ ssessment that the government of North Korea is in clear breach of international law and has raised its concerns with UN Security Council members. We are of the view that international sanctions must remain in place until North Korea denuclearises.

Date and time of answer: 05 May 2020 at 12:02.

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