WORLD BRIEFING / SOUTH KOREA

The impending return home of a North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit cargo shows that efforts are working to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed after the nation’s nuclear and missile tests, the chief of U.S. naval operations said.

The cargo vessel Kang Nam 1 was tracked by the U.S. Navy after it left port last month. The ship, which was believed destined for Myanmar, suddenly turned back on June 28. South Korean defense officials said it had entered North Korean waters and had been expected to reach port Monday.

Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, speaking to reporters in Seoul, called the monitoring of the Kang Nam I “a very effective way” of stopping proliferation, and said the Navy will continue to “conduct operations” that support the effort to sanction the North.