A North Korean ship shadowed by U.S. warships for the past two weeks on suspicion it is carrying illicit weapons has reversed course and may be returning to North Korea.

U.S. vessels have been monitoring the Kang Nam since it left a North Korean port 17 June. The ship's suspected destination was Burma or Singapore. News reports from the region say the ship is now in the waters off Vietnam and may be headed back to North Korea.

The Kang Nam is the first ship monitored under new U.N. Security Council sanctions that ban North Korea from selling arms and nuclear-related material.The sanctions were approved after North Korea's 25 May nuclear test, its second since 2006. U.N. resolution 1874 allows member nations to request permission to board and search any ship going to and from North Korea, suspected of carrying banned goods.

"I think there is every indication that there is some impact now of that resolution both on North Korea itself and, one of the stories is, also on Myanmar, or Burma," said John McKay, Research Director for Australia's APEC Studies Center at Monash University in Melbourne and a consultant for Analysis International.

"There is some indication that Myanmar already had already told the North Koreans that they would not allow the ship to dock, which shows that the resolution is having some effect," McKay said. "I think this is an important development, but I think we'd be foolish to think this is somehow the way the problem [of North Korean weapons proliferation] was going to be solved once and for all."

The United States Tuesday announced it is targeting two firms for allegedly aiding North Korea's nuclear weapons program and missile proliferation. Iran-based Hong Kong Electronics allegedly helped two North Korean firms transfer millions of dollars of proliferation-related funds. Washington is also sanctioning Pyongyang-based Namchongang Trading Corporation for purchasing equipment suitable for uranium enrichment. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets the two companies may have, and ban Americans from doing business with them.

北韩货轮受美海军跟踪或许返航

受到美国海军紧密跟踪的北韩货轮看来改变了航向，或许要返回北韩。这艘北韩货轮已被看作是对联合国向平壤施加的制裁措施是否有效的初步检验。

美国官员说，北韩货轮"江南"号显然改变了一个星期来驶往东南亚的航向，现在可能正在打道回府。

情报官员认为，这艘船过去曾经为北韩运送过供出售的武器。该船这次被认为是开往缅甸。美国海军驱逐舰队根据最近通过的联合国安全理事会决议，从一个星期之前开始跟踪这艘可能运载违禁物品的北韩货船。

该船预计将在新加坡增添燃料，新加坡政府已承诺根据联合国决议采取"适当的行动"。首尔的亚洲战略研究所分析家朴升宰说，新加坡的行动是造成平壤改变初衷的原因之一。

朴升宰说：“当他们（北韩）经过新加坡的时候，可能无法回避新加坡的检查。此外，它很可能无法把武器或者核设备抛到大海里。”

朴升宰说，如果该船返回北韩，那将增强有关国际制裁平壤已经产生效果的印象。他说，美国和其合作伙伴将对这艘北韩货船保持密切的关注。

朴升宰说：“开往缅甸和伊朗的北韩货轮将是优先关注的对象。”

武器销售是北韩这个世界上经济上最孤立和最贫穷国家的一个重要收入来源。美国还担心北韩可能试图通过向与美国为敌的国家出售设备和技术，甚至是核裂变材料，利用自己的核计划获得硬通货。

联合国安理会今年5月针对北韩核试验通过的第1874号决议 授权成员国可以在其港口或者海域检查北韩船只。

北韩最近在若干场合表示，美国和韩国任何试图阻截或者检查北韩船只的行为都将被视为战争行为，北韩将做出相应的报复行动。平壤官方报纸劳动新闻星期三把威胁扩大到日本，并且说，如果东京试图检查北韩货轮，日本要为军事行动的 “一切后果负责”。