KATHMANDU: Western countries, including the United States (US), has expressed its dissatisfaction saying that Nepal has failed to take effective measures to control North Korean activities in Nepal.
They have also raised concern over Nepal for not being serious in enforcing the UN Resolutions on North Korea sanctions and warned that they would be compelled to take strong steps if Nepal failed to stop all North Korean businesses and operations by December 22.
It should be noted that Nepal had earlier written to the UN Security Council (UNSC) informing that a total of 33 North Korean nationals had left the country in compliance with the UN resolutions against North Korea.
The US, however, has expressed serious dissatisfaction with Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) over the extension of visas for 17 North Koreans for two more months.
It should be noted that Khabarhub had on November 20 carried a news report saying that Nepal has extended the visa period of 17 North Korean nationals for two months despite its assurances to abide by the US and UN sanctions on North Korea.
Khabarhub has continuously published stories about North Korean’s illicit activities, including cybercrimes, in Nepal.
US officials have said that the extension of the visa of 17 North Koreans has violated the provision in the UNSC Resolution 2375, which clearly says that “states shall not provide work authorization for North Korean nationals in their jurisdictions after September 11, 2017.”
If this is to be abided, the government of Nepal cannot issue or renew visas to North Korean workers.
Hinting at the Nepal government’s dillydallying on coping with the UN deadline to send all North Koreans back to their country by December 22, they have asked Nepal to abide by the UN resolution.
The US has stated that North Korean activities and operations employing North Korean nationals as workers have continued in Nepal while accusing the government of being ‘soft’ on North Koreans.
The government of Nepal, in its note-verbale submitted to the UNSC on November 7, had mentioned that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has already instructed the North Koreans in Nepal to close down their businesses by October 31.
Nepal’s Permanent Mission to UN, New York had expressed its commitment to abide by the UN Resolution in its letter, which had claimed to have caused backpacking of 33 Koreans by 31 October.
“We are committed to peace. In the case of North Korea, we have been executing necessary deliverables as required,” said Bharat Raj Paudyal, the spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He informed that the Ministry has already informed the United Nations about it.
Nepal had in the letter stated that it had already started the process for the shutting down of the hospitals and restaurants run by North Koreans in Nepal.
“However, there seemed a lack of coordination between the government agencies in the execution of the government commitments,” said a high-level official at the US Embassy in Kathmandu.
“The ruling party leaders also seem to be tempted by North Korea visits,” he said.
“To make the sanctions imposed against it void, North Korea has been running various employment and economic activities in various countries,” a UN study claims.
The study has concluded that the amount thus collected has been used to support the government in manufacturing the deadly weapons in Korea.
Earlier when Choe Son Hui, the vice president of North Korean parliament and the Mayor of Pyongyang Metropolitan City, had come to Nepal at the invitation of the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and had meetings with many politicians including the Head of Foreign Department of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The North Koreans’ meeting with other politicians is still under the veil. The Western and US Officials had appealed to the government to enforce the commitment honestly.
An official at Nepal’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the news when South Korea Ambassador to Nepal Park Young-sik approached Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and raised its serious concern about North Korean activities and the UN sanctions.
Japan, Nepal’s largest donor, too, has raised concern over North Korea’s businesses in Nepal and urged the government of Nepal to stop all its activities.
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