After ICBM Test, US & Asian Allies Impose New Sanctions On North Korea

After Pyongyang's latest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile test last month, the United States, South Korea and Japan imposed sanctions on North Korean officials linked to the country's weapons programmes.

The individuals were named by the US Treasury Department on Thursday as Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin and Kim Su Gil, all of whom the European Union sanctioned in April.

South Korea's foreign ministry imposed sanctions on seven more people, including a Singaporean and a Taiwanese, as well as eight entities.

According to the ministry, all are already subject to US sanctions imposed between January 2018 and October 2022.

Japan also designated three entities and one individual for new sanctions, including the Lazarus Group, which is suspected of carrying out cyberattacks, according to Japan's foreign ministry.

China and Russia have resisted recent UN sanctions, arguing that they should be eased in order to restart talks and avoid humanitarian harm. As a result, Washington is now concentrating on trilateral efforts with South Korea and Japan, as well as European partners.

The latest sanctions come in the wake of North Korea’s ICBM test, part of a record-breaking spate of more than 60 missile launches this year, and amid fears that it is about to resume nuclear weapons testing, which has been suspended since 2017.

According to a Treasury statement, Jon Il Ho and Yu Jin played key roles in the development of weapons of mass destruction while serving as vice director and director of North Korea's Munitions Industry Department, respectively.

From 2018 to 2021, Kim Su Gil was the director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau, where he oversaw the implementation of WMD programme decisions.

“Treasury is acting in close trilateral coordination with the Republic of Korea and Japan against officials who have played key roles in the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programmes,” Treasury Under Secretary For Terrorism And Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.

According to the statement, recent launches highlight the importance of all countries fully implementing UN Security Council resolutions aimed at preventing the DPRK from acquiring the technologies, materials and revenue required to develop its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile capabilities.

The sanctions, which freeze the individuals’ assets in the United States and bar dealings with them, appear largely symbolic.

The latest move, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry, is part of the country's efforts to firmly respond to North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.

Decades of sanctions led by the United States have failed to halt North Korea's increasingly sophisticated missile and nuclear weapon programmes.

Earlier, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington was committed to using pressure and diplomacy to persuade North Korea to hand over its nuclear arsenal.

He said that the administration was well aware of the difficulties, but remained committed to holding Pyongyang accountable.

According to a White House National Security Council spokesperson, sanctions have succeeded in “slowing down the development” of the weapons programmes and Pyongyang has turned to “increasingly desperate ways to generate revenue, such as virtual currency heists and other cybercrime, to fund its weapons programmes.”