The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that it has decided to impose sanctions on six North Korean citizens, as well as a company and Russian citizen allegedly involved in the military plan of ruler Kim Jong Un, amid recent ballistic missile launches in the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. Secretary of State detailed in a statement released Thursday morning that the sanctions were intended to harm seven people who the U.S. says are linked to "the distribution of weapons of mass destruction and systems for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction."
The US is sanctioning individuals and entities that support the DPRK's weapons programs.
We are committed to preventing the DPRK from accessing technology and resources that advance these destabilizing programs.
https://t.co/Mj3q2wLVw5
- Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 12, 2022
In addition, Washington will promote the inclusion of five of them on the Security Council's blacklist, but this requires consensus on the part of the UN's senior body.
"The U.S. is proposing UN sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which violated Security Council resolutions," the U.S. ambassador to the International Organization, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, tweeted on Thursday.
On top of today's designations by @StateDept and @USTreasury, the US is proposing @UN sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
- Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) January 13, 2022
Surprisingly, such sanctions include a Russian citizen and society, a move that is likely to exacerbate tensions between the two powers, against the backdrop of events on the Ukrainian border and diplomatic efforts between the parties in the past week in Geneva and Brussels.
The Kremlin has not yet commented, but it is difficult to see Vladimir Putin putting it on the agenda.
As you may recall, on Wednesday, the North Korean news agency announced that ruler Kim Jong Un was present at the launch of a "supersonic missile", his first appearance in two years at an event of this type.
It was further reported that the leader asked his officers and scientists to "further accelerate efforts to steadily build the country's strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity and to renew the army even further".
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us
