United States President Joe Biden's administration issued sanctions on Wednesday to eight entities over North Korea's hypersonic missile launches, two of which were conducted last week.
The Democrat's sanctions on Pyongyang targeted six North Koreans, one Russian, and a Russian firm that Washington said were responsible for the procurement of goods for the programs from Russia and China. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury said that the steps were taken to both prevent the advancement of North Korea's programs and impede its attempt to bolster its weapons technologies.
Sanctions Against North Korea
American authorities also proposed that five of the individuals sanctioned by the federal government will also be blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council. This would mean that they need a consensus agreement by the body's 15-member North Korea sanctions committee.
Since taking office in January of last year, the Biden administration has unsuccessfully sought to engage Pyongyang in dialogue. The Democrat has tried to persuade North Korea to drop its nuclear bomb and missile programs. In a statement, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the U.S. remained committed to pursuing diplomacy with North Korea, Reuters reported.
North Korea has claimed that its test launches were successful and involved a hypersonic glide vehicle. The equipment was released from a rocket booster and demonstrated "glide jump flight" and "corkscrew maneuvering" before successfully hitting a target that was 620 miles out to sea.
The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, reportedly oversaw all of the successful missile launch tests that he claimed would greatly increase the nation's "war deterrent." The sanctions handed out by the United States government related to the roles that officials played in obtaining equipment and technology necessary for the weapons program.
However, the officials who received the sanctions did not actually reside in North Korea, rather, in other nations. One of the individuals was from Russia while four others operated out of China. The officials hit by the sanctions allegedly provided funds, goods, or services to North Korea's Second Academy of Natural Sciences, which is believed to be involved in the nation's military defense program, Fox News reported.
International Representatives
The most recent of the test launches happened on Monday, which is the second one in a week, and originated from the northern province of Jagang. The missile allegedly traveled some 430 miles before dropping into the East Sea, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In a statement released on Wednesday, American Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said that the U.S. federal government's actions were meant to country North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. He said that the sanctions target Pyongyang's continued use of overseas representatives to illegally procure goods for weapons.
"The DPRK's latest missile launches are further evidence that it continues to advance prohibited programs despite the international community's calls for diplomacy and denuclearization," said Nelson. The individuals affected by the sanctions are Choe Myong Hyon, O Yong Ho, Russia-based DPRK nationals, Sim Kwang Sok, Kim Song Hun, Kang Chol Hak, China-based representatives, Pyon Kwang Chol, and Roman Anatolyevich Alar, a Russian national, CNBC reported.
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