The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on two Russian banks, a North Korean company and an individual it accuses of supporting North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program, stepping up pressure on Pyongyang after it resumed ballistic missile launches.
The latest US move comes after North Korea launched ballistic missiles in what the United States said was North Korea’s sixth ICBM test this year and indications that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
The US Treasury said, in a statement, that it targeted Air Koryo Trading Corp., as well as Far East and Sputnik banks because of their contributions to the collection and collection of proceeds to North Korean organizations.
Washington also designated Jeong Yong Nam, a Belarus-based representative of an organization affiliated with the North Korean Academy of Natural Sciences, who Washington said provides support to North Korean organizations linked to ballistic missile development.
“The United States will continue to implement and enforce existing sanctions while urging North Korea to return to the diplomatic track and abandon its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles,” Brian Nelson, Treasury Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the statement.
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