SEOUL, Jan. 16 (UPI) — South Korean customs authorities discovered that South Korean businessmen purchased paintings at an art studio in North Korea, listed under the United Nations sanctions.
According to Seoul’s Unification Ministry, some of the members of the World Federation of Korean Association of Commerce, which consists of Korean executives running businesses overseas, bought artworks at Mansudae Art Studio during their visit to Pyongyang in November. A total of 97 business magnates went to Pyongyang to attend a business conference Nov. 15-18.
The state customs service discovered some 20 paintings during a random customs inspection at Incheon International Airport and seized them as undeclared items.
“Whether it’s a breach of the sanctions would be decided according to related laws. The matter is under discussion by government officials,” said Paik Tae-hyun, spokesman of the Unification Ministry, in a briefing Wednesday.
The U.N. Security Council banned the Mansudae Art Studio’ exports of artworks in November 2016 under the Resolution 2371. It accused the art studio of attracting money from overseas by selling its artworks.
According to the ministry, the entity under the sanctions is the Mansudae Overseas Development Company Group, an official name for the Mansudae Art Studio.
The Unification Ministry said that it wasn’t notified of their plan to visit the art studio although those who have plans for trips to North Korea are required to submit their travel plans to the ministry beforehand.
“Their itinerary stated visits to commercial and industrial facilities, plus city sightseeing in Pyongyang. So, we didn’t know details of their plans,” said Paik.
In September, South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited the art studio during his visit to Pyongyang for the third summit.
