On May 6 the 1718 Committee of the UN Security Council took a step for freezing Mudubong, a trading cargo ship of our company, by deliberately slapping sanctions against it, pursuant to the scenario of the U.S. and other hostile forces to isolate and stifle the DPRK.

I vehemently denounce the step as a provocation of the hostile forces to lay a hurdle in our shipping business, a wanton breach of international law, undisguised disregard of domestic laws of the sovereign state and, furthermore, a grave encroachment on the sovereignty of the DPRK.

We had already made it clear that Mudubong is a property of the Mudubong Shipping Co. Ltd. of the DPRK, not the property of the Ocean Maritime Management Co. Ltd. which is allegedly on the list of the UN "sanctions," and is not under its control.

Our company is a corporate body independent of the Ocean Maritime Management Co. Ltd. as it is a social cooperative organization established according to relevant laws of the DPRK. It has the absolute right to control and dispose of the ship as its legitimate owner.

However, the 1718 Committee decided to freeze Mudubong by groundlessly linking our company with the Ocean Maritime Management Co. Ltd., a separate corporate body, without any legal ground.

As Mudubong was stranded on coral reef off Tuxpan Port of Mexico in July, 2014, our company has already suffered not a few losses in management and our company and its crewmen came to suffer bigger economic losses due to the unilateral and discriminating step taken by the 1718 Committee.

Mudubong is a peaceable civilian trading ship which has neither violated international law nor handled any prohibited cargo. There is, therefore, neither reason nor ground for the 1718 Committee to make the ship subject to "sanctions."

A civilian trading ship deserves protection even in wartime according to international law. It is an unreasonable attitude which cannot convince anyone and human rights abuse wantonly encroaching upon the vital rights of crewmen that the 1718 Committee made a civilian ship subject to "sanctions" and freezing of property in a peace time.

It is beyond any doubt that the 1718 Committee's recent decision will bring huge economic losses and burdens not only to our company but to Mexico.

Believing that the unreasonable step of the 1718 Committee will be denounced by the world shipping circle and crewmen as it is a prejudiced tyrannical act of wantonly ignoring the regular international shipping usage, I officially request the Mexican authorities to render positive cooperation to Mudubong from a fair stand on the principle of humanitarianism so that it may safely leave the port together with its crewmen.