North Korea has slammed Japan over its efforts to crack down on illegal ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of cargoes.
Japan's foreign ministry said earlier this month that France had decided to support its monitoring of STS operations involving North Korean-flagged vessels banned under UN sanctions.
North Korea's state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) called the move a "last-ditch effort" to hamper the peace process in the region.
