Two Singapore companies allegedly sold wine and spirits to N. Korea

Two Singaporean companies have allegedly sold luxury goods including wine and spirits to North Korea defying UN sanctions, a leaked UN report has shown.

Despite UN sanctions, there are still imported spirits shown on the shelves of North Korean shop (Photo source: NK News)

According to a report by the BBC, a leaked draft of a United Nations report alleges that the two Singaporean companies have been supplying booze to the hermit country since at least early July 2017.

The companies are two sister companies, namely ‘OCN’ and ‘T Specialist’. Their lawyer, Edmond Pereira, however, insisted they did not have “any current financial links, interests, or any sort of relationship with entities in North Korea”.

It’s reported that the final report has been submitted to the UN Security Council and the Singaporean government is aware of the case.

This follows a recent report of two Chinese nationals accused of selling banned goods including whisky, brandy and other alcoholic beverages to North Korea via a Japanese port.

The UN has banned trading of all luxury goods with North Korea since 2006, and last year it expanded its sanctions as a result of the country’s repeated missile tests.

Singapore’s laws limiting trade with North Korea have been in place for years but it was not until last year that it banned trade completely, according to the BBC report.