North Korea continues to evade U.S. sanctions through such tactics as sourcing the labor for its products to other countries. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a reminder to importers to be aware of these tactics and avoid the risk of non-compliance under U.S. and United Nations sanctions authorities.
In a memo issued this week, CBP divisional officials urged shippers to heed the Informational Pipeline regarding “North Korea Sanctions & Enforcement Actions Advisory,” originally published in July 2018. The advisory details the risk that an importer may assume in inadvertently sourcing goods that have been made in other countries by North Korean citizens who are sent there by their government. The laborers are paid through the North Korean government who take the majority of the profits.
Due diligence references to help U.S. importers avoid these situations are also provided in the advisory.