US sanctions Russians over support for North Korean missile programme

Washington [US], March 12 (ANI)

The United States has announced sanctions against two Russian individuals and three entities over their support for North Korea's weapons programme.

"The DPRK continues to launch ballistic missiles in blatant violation of international law, posing a grave threat to global security," Brian Nelson, under-secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, was quoted as saying, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported. "Today's actions respond to this threat by targeting a network of Russia-based individuals and entities complicit in helping the DPRK procure components for its unlawful ballistic missile systems," he added, according to the treasury department.

The department said the two Russian individuals and three Russian companies have been helping Park Kwang-hun, a North Korean representative based in Vladivostok who was designated by both the US and the United Nations in 2018 for procuring supplies for North Korea's illicit weapons programs.

"As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC (office of foreign assets control)," the treasury department said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency.

This comes a day after the US said that the North had tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system in its recent missile tests, conducted February 27 and last Saturday (Seoul time).

"After careful analysis, the US government has concluded that the DPRK's two ballistic missile tests on February 26 and March 4 of this year involved a relatively new intercontinental ballistic missile system... This is a serious escalation by the DPRK," Sputnik News Agency had reported quoting an official.