How Hong Kong Makes Evading North Korea Sanctions Easier

In late February, Japan’s government released photographs of a tanker it said it strongly suspects was making a transfer, likely of oil, to a North Korean ship in violation of international sanctions.

The tanker’s owner, Ha Fa Trade International Co., is registered to an address in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. But the company can’t be found there. Instead, the cluttered 23rd-floor office belongs to an agency that helps businesses register with the authorities, with scant information on their ultimate owners.