N. Korea Tracked Under New Sanctions

Seoul - A North Korean ship has changed course after being tracked by the US Navy on suspicion of carrying weapons, a Pentagon official said, as Pyongyang warned on Wednesday it would hit back against attempts to search its vessels. The official declined to say where the Kang Nam 1, which left home on June 17 and was the first ship to be tracked under new UN sanctions, is now headed after it turned back. It was reportedly originally bound for Myanmar. The tougher sanctions, imposed in response to the North's May nuclear test, calls on UN member states to inspect cargoes if they suspect these are banned weapons shipments to or from the North. The North responded defiantly, vowing to build more nuclear bombs. On Wednesday it warned of military action against its arch-enemy Japan should Tokyo stop its vessels for cargo inspections. Rodong Sinmun, daily of the ruling communist party, said Tokyo is pushing for a new law to authorise tougher cargo inspections. "Our ships are sacred and impregnable places where our sovereignty reigns. If anyone hurts them, it would be considered a grave military provocation against us," Rodong said in a commentary.
Source: AFP
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