The United States has imposed sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13382 on a network of six individuals and five entities based in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for their involvement in procuring items that support North Korea's (DPRK) unlawful weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs. This network facilitated activities for a U.S.-designated, Beijing-based representative of the DPRK’s Second Academy of Natural Sciences (SANS), which is also designated by both the United States and the United Nations. Executive Order 13382 targets proliferators of WMD and their supporters.
The DPRK continues to violate multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions and conduct launches using ballistic missile technology, including a recent failed effort in May 2024 to place a military satellite into orbit. Additionally, the DPRK has supplied ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation, which continues to target civilian population centers and infrastructure in Ukraine.
"The United States remains committed to using all available means to expose and disrupt the networks supporting the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," stated an official source. The source added that these efforts aim to counter "the reckless proliferation of weapons that destabilize the region and enable Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine."
For more information about this designation, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release at https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2482.
