On 7 November 2017, Singapore Customs issued Circular 14/2017 which announces a prohibition from 8 November 2017, of all commercially traded goods that are imported, exported, transhipped or brought in transit from or to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (N. Korea) through Singapore. For non-commercial transactions from or to the DPRK, the prohibition applies to goods that are sanctioned under the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 2371 (2017) and 2375 (2017) as published in the Regulation of Imports and Exports (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2017 which will also take effect on the same date (8 Nov 2017).
The circular states that:
Traders should note that any non-commercial goods which are imported from, exported or re-exported to, or transhipped or brought in transit from or to the DPRK through Singapore, would require a TradeNet® permit which should be submitted to Customs at least 3 working days before the intended date of shipment. Traders are also reminded to comply with all conditions stipulated in the approved permits. ***
Penalties
Under Regulation 6(1)(b) of the Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations, the importation into, exportation from, and transhipment or transit through Singapore of any commercially traded goods and non-commercial goods which will contravene the decisions of the UNSC in resolutions made under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter are prohibited.
Any person who contravenes any of these prohibitions shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to –
a) a fine of not exceeding S$100,000 or 3 times the value of the goods in respect of which the offence was committed, whichever is the greater, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both, on the first conviction; and
b) a fine of not exceeding S$200,000 or 4 times the value of the goods in respect of which the offence was committed, whichever is the greater, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both, on the second or subsequent conviction.
Details on the UNSC sanctions can be found here. You may view the subsidiary legislation at Singapore Statutes Online: http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ .
