Chinese traders furious after UN sanctions cut off North Korean seafood supply

REUTERS/WIlliam Hong

BEIJING (AP) — Furious Chinese businesspeople say Beijing's decision to enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korean seafood will hobble the economy of a northeastern city, sparking a rare public protest earlier this week after the surprise move suddenly choked off the trade.

China announced Monday that it was cutting off imports of North Korean goods under U.N. sanctions imposed over the North's nuclear and missile programs.

But given China's often-lax history of sanctions enforcement, seafood traders in the city of Hunchun, home to hundreds of seafood processing plants, were shocked when customs officials began ordering trucks to return their seafood to North Korea. Dozens of people from seafood companies took to the streets to protest.

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