1. The first meeting of the Republic of Korea (ROK)-United States (U.S.) Enhanced Disruption Task Force was held on March 26 in Washington D.C., with participation of more than 30 people from the two countries’ government agencies in charge of diplomacy, intelligence, sanctions and maritime disruption.

2. The Enhanced Disruption Task Force was established to more effectively block North Korea’s illicit procurement of critical resources and revenue for its nuclear and missile development. In the first T/F meeting, the ROK and the U.S. focused on North Korea’s imports of refined oil more than the cap set by the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and ways to block such illicit imports.

3. Oil is an essential resource that North Korea needs for its nuclear and missile development and military readiness. By adopting UNSC resolution 2397 in 2017, the international community limited the total inflow of crude oil to 4 million barrels and refined oil to 0.5 million barrels into North Korea. However, in its report released on March 21 of this year, the Panel of Experts estimated that between January to September of 2023, North Korea imported more than 1.5 million barrels of refined oil, demonstrating that it continues to evade sanctions using various tactics and illicit ship-to-ship transfer networks.

4. In the meeting led by Lee Jun-il, Director General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs of the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lyn Debevoise, acting Deputy Special Representative for the DPRK of the U.S., the two sides reviewed the implementation of the UNSC sanctions in the maritime sector and discussed specific ways to block such illicit import of refined oil by North Korea, especially through ROK-U.S. cooperation and collaboration with the international community.

5. The two sides assessed that, as many public reports have already pointed out, much of the refined oil that North Korea is smuggling is coming with illicit support of individuals and entities throughout the region. The two sides agreed to strengthen various measures, such as issuing joint advisories and engaging with the maritime industry, to raise awareness on this issue. As part of the efforts to cut off such illicit activities, the two sides also agreed to review designating the individuals and entities involved in the smuggling on the autonomous sanctions list.

6. Moreover, the two sides expressed concern over the possibility that Russia may provide refined oil to North Korea as their relations become closer, and discussed ways to halt such illicit cooperation. The two sides strongly urged Russia to faithfully implement the UNSC resolutions as it has declared that it would.

7. The two sides decided to hold the second T/F meeting in Seoul this year at an appropriate time. They agreed to continue discussion at the next meeting on various measures to more effectively block North Korea’s revenue stream, such as its illicit coal exports, as well as ways to further strengthen cooperation to disturb its oil procurement.