The Canadian mission helps to impose North Korea sanctions – national

It has become morning rituals Canadian Royal Air Force Employees headquarters in Okinawa, Japan. Several times every week, about 15 members climb on board the elderly CP-140 Aurora, immediately after dawn, leaving the American Cadena Air Force Base on the southern end of Japan, and begins to take patrols in North Korea.

Their mission – to impose sanctions targeting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program at a time when experts say dictator Kim Jong Un was in a stronger position.

North Korea regularly receives illegal naval shipments, which provide vital resources and income to maintain its ruling system and enhance the nuclear weapons program.

Global News recently joined a patrol on the Aurora plane, which first entered service in the eighties and showed its age. The interior of the plane still contains cigarettes and nicotine stones on the ceiling, but the plane has been modified with the latest surveillance cameras and radar technology, which is used to wipe the sea for suspicious ships and activity.

The dean said: “The information we collect on a very important daily basis for the allies to explain it, in order to enforce these sanctions.” Jeff Davis, Deputy Commander of power generation in the Canadian Air Division 1 in Wenipeg.

Davis served with RCAF for more than 35 years and spent approximately 3300 hours to fly on Aurora on five continents. But this process is unique.

“We use many sensors – from radar to visual to the cameras we have on board,” Davis. “We go out and try to find those ships approaching each other and we may do transfers from the ship to the ships.”

When Aurora reached its roaming height, about 5,000 feet, some members of its crew removed the cameras from the windows towards the sea below; Others stared on radar screens while noting notes.

East China and the yellow sailor that precedes the North Korean coast line is wide, extending hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. The region is also home to one of the most busy charging methods in the world, and Canadian crew can face hundreds of ships on one trip. Surprised ships have a lot of ways to hide and survive, including by turning off AIS (automatic identification system) and falsifying their registration and records.

“The best way to hide is just pretending to be like any other ship, because the density here is very high, so we only have a few seconds to look at every ship,” explained Captain Montecia Michael, the tactical leader of the trip, originally from Ottawa.

Fortunately, the Canadian crew does not work alone. They are part of the neon process – Canada’s contribution to a multinational effort includes Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. They routinely receive intelligence reports on specific suspect ships and their approximate location.

On several occasions during the journey that lasted about nine hours, the Canadians monitored a ship suspected of transporting it to North Korea. Each time, the Aurora plane – to a height of up to 300 feet above the sea – fell to photograph more closely and record the ship’s activity.

“The Aurora platform is usually used in the anti -submarine war.” “So we are actually using this plane for something different, and it collects intelligence. It is the most unique experience that we have.

“Once we collect all the information we need, we will send it to the series to its highest levels. They do what they have to do with this information.”

Their reports are analyzed by Allied Intelligence to determine whether the penalties have been violated, and if possible, to prosecute responsible companies or individuals. But this work has recently become more challenging because of Russia’s participation. As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Russia practiced last year against it to cancel the renewal of a committee of United Nations experts for a long time, which was responsible for investigating suspected penalties. The committee often depends on images and intelligence like the type collected by the Canadian crew.

“We are used to obtaining a lot of evidence through the United Nations Committee of North Korean sanctions before the veto of renewing the mandate of that committee in 2024 and was resolved,” said Christopher Green, chief adviser on the Korean Peninsula in the International Crisis Group, a non -profit organization that conducts research on global research and the prevention of the fisherman. “Changes in the international system, geopolitical transformations have worked for North Korea to undermine the sanctions system.”

Kim Jong -un has proven the increasing relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a change in games. North Korea has sent thousands of forces and weapons to support the Russian war machine in Ukraine. On the other hand, Russia helped North Korea to evade sanctions.

Satellite pictures Russia has also supplied that North Korea has provided North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil since March 2024. US intelligence and South Korea assessments also indicate that Russia is now going through advanced technologies to North Korea, including missile guidelines, air defense systems and satellite launch capabilities.

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“Kim Jong Un is in power, perhaps more than ever,” said Jonathan Korado, director of politics at the Korea Association, a US -based non -profit organization. “By supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, it has opened the ability not only to continue challenging sanctions, but to develop its nuclear weapons capabilities.

“North Korea feels the number, unrestricted, and this may lead to some dangerous behavioral behaviors of stability and a precedent that affects the security dynamics of the peninsula for decades to come.”

This Russian support has enabled North Korea to expand and upgrade the nuclear weapons program, which is increasing progress towards building a submarine fleet capable of nuclear weapons. Last month, North Korea also announced that it had conducted the final ground test of a long -range ballistic missile engine that can theoret the United States theoretically.

“North Korea is actively strengthening its nuclear and missile capabilities. It opens new enrichment facilities, new missile engines and destroyers capable of nuclear weapons,” said Canadian Michael Kovrij, chief adviser to the International Crisis Group.

Kovrij, who was detained by the Chinese authorities for a period of three years to arrest Canada for a prominent executive director of Chinese technology, indicated that China also supports North Korea’s efforts to evade sanctions and develop the nuclear weapons program.

Beijing has constantly pressed or relieved new sanctions against North Korea in the United Nations Security Council and provided a diplomatic cover for Pyongyang’s activities. China has also been accused of having turned a party to the secret shipping networks in North Korea, which operates from Chinese ports.

During the RCAF flight over the East China Sea, Global News Global News Jets has seen a Urra plane on three separate occasions over several hours. They made the Canadian plane at a close but safe distance, according to the dean. Davis.

Canadian crew told Global News that these intersections have become regularly during their periodical tasks.

In October 2023, A Chinese military plane intercepted another Canadian periodic flight While the officials described it as a dangerous and “aggressive”, it reached about five meters from the Canadian plane and paid an official complaint to Beijing from the Canadian government.

“While (the Canadians) fly around the Korean Peninsula, they impose sanctions from the United Nations that China agreed as a member of the Security Council,” Kovrij threatened, “The Liberation Army in China) and the Air Force, and acted hostile to these Canadian air running.

“This gives you some indications of China’s mentality on this issue. It is not a promising sign.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently hosted Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin in Beijing, on the occasion of a high -level offer of unity among the three most effective leaders in the world.

“Without supporting China, (North Korea or Russia) cannot do what they are doing,” Kovrige said.