"It has not yet entered North Korea. (The journey) will likely end within the day," South Korean defense ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said in a briefing.
Won declined to speculate at which hour the vessel, named the Kang Nam, will enter into North Korea. The ship is returning after failing to reach its reported destination, Myanmar.
The North Korean vessel was tracked by the U.S. Navy, which believes it is carrying weapons banned under Resolution 1874, passed in June after North Korea conducted its second nuclear test on May 25.
The resolution bans North Korea from exporting any type of weaponry - light or heavy - while calling on U.N. member states to inspect all North Korean ships suspected of carrying such weapons.
North Korea
