The U.S. has recently imposed sanctions on seven foreign individuals and one foreign entity found to be providing material assistance to the Democrat People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) weapons programs.
The sanctions, enforced on Jan. 12, were designated under Executive Order 13382, an authority reserved for “proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD delivery systems,” a U.S. Department of State press release said.
“The United States will use every appropriate tool to address the DPRK’s WMD and ballistic missile programs, which constitute a serious threat to international peace and security and undermine the global nonproliferation regime,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in the release.
Headlining the list are one Russia-based DPRK national, one Russian individual and one Russian entity said have been involved in transactions and activities contributing to the expansion of the DPRK’s WMD capabilities, the release said.
Since at least 2018, DPRK national O Yong Ho has attempted to secure missile-related materials from third parties for his country’s missile program, the release said. During his efforts, Ho worked with Parsek LLC, a Russian firm, and Russian national Roman Anatolyevich Alar to secure a range of missile-related materials. Alar also allegedly provided Ho with instructions to produce solid rocket fuel.
The Treasury Department also issued sanctions on five People’s Republic of China and Russia-based DPRK representatives of the DPRK’s Second Academy of Natural Sciences (SANS), an entity previously designated in 2010, the release said.
As a result of the designations, all of the subjects’ property and interests located in the U.S. will be frozen and reported to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, a Treasury Department press release said.
