U.S. hits North Korea with sanctions over support for Russia, ballistic missile program

U.S. hits North Korea with sanctions over support for Russia, ballistic missile program
by Darryl Coote
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 16, 2024

The United States on Monday imposed a new round of sanctions targeting North Korea over its ballistic missile program and support for Russia in the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.

A total of 11 people and nine entities were blacklisted Monday by the Biden administration, including nine individuals and seven entities by the Treasury and two individuals and one entity by the State Department.

The sanctions come as relations between United States and North Korea are at their lowest levels in decades. Pyongyang has steadily distanced itself not only from Washington but also other democratic governments, including South Korea, since the failed Hanoi Summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2019.

Pyongyang has instead forged closer relations with countries such as Iran and Russia, while taking steps to advance its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

In late October, North Korea conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since December of last year -- a move it followed days later by firing at least seven short-range ballistic missiles.

It has also provided weapons and deployed some 11,000 troops to fight alongside their Russian counterparts in the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Last month, it ratified a defense treaty with Moscow that greatly deepens their military cooperation.

"The Kim regime's continued provocative actions -- including its most recent ICBM test and its deepening military support to Russia -- undermine the stability of the region and sustain [Russian President Vladimir ]Putin's continued aggression in Ukraine," Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith said in a statement.

"The United States remains committed to disrupting the illicit procurement and facilitation networks that enable these destabilizing activities."

Among those blacklisted by the Treasury on Monday is the Gold Triangle Bank, a state-owned company used by foreigners to exchange foreign currency into North Korean won, and Korea Mandal Credit Bank, which facilitates the procurement of supplies for entities supporting Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs. Two people, Choe Chol Ryong and Kim Myong Jin, were sanctioned for their connections to previously designated banks with links to China.

Seven North Koreans were also sanctioned by the Treasury for their involvement in their country's military and weapons programs.

Additionally, three Russian shipping companies were sanctioned.

At the U.S. State Department, officials sanctioned Second Academy of Natural Sciences Foreign Affairs Bureau, as well as Rim Ryong Nam and Kim Yon Hui, all for their involvement in procurement activities benefiting Pyongyang's development of ballistic missiles.

The punitive measures were announced as nearly a dozen Western countries, including the United States, on Monday chastised North Korea for its "dangerous expansion" of the war in Ukraine through its cooperation with North Korea.