The United States Sanctions 11 North Korean Nationals and One Company

On Friday, April 1, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that a North Korean company and eleven nationals from the country have been sanctioned due to their connections to the country's weapons, banking, and foreign trade programs. The official statement from the U.S. Treasury specified that the sanctioned individuals were operating in Russia, China, Vietnam, and Cuba for the North Korean government, tasked with financial support and assistance in constructing weaponry in companies that had previously been sanctioned. In this statement, Steven Mnuchin, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, noted that the aim of the new sanctions is to counter the networks and methods that North Korea uses to finance its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The Treasury Secretary also urged U.S. friends and allies to take similar actions to halt funding for such programs. Two of the sanctioned North Korean nationals are based in China, and one individual on the sanctions blacklist resides in Cuba and has been linked to the North Korean company 'Ryonbong'. This company, which specializes in North Korea's defense industries and supports the sale of military items from Pyongyang, had previously been subjected to U.S. sanctions. According to the U.S. Treasury statement, another sanctioned individual was employed by a North Korean trading company based in Dalian, China. Six sanctioned North Korean nationals residing in Vietnam, China, and Russia were included in this list due to their connections with North Korean banks. U.S. sanctions against North Korea are not new, as previous U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have also imposed sanctions against North Korea. About 15 years ago, George W. Bush labeled North Korea, alongside Iran and Iraq, as part of the 'Axis of Evil'. In recent months, tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have escalated. The joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, which began about a month ago, have faced reactions from North Korea. In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly tested its ballistic missiles in the Sea of Japan. About ten days ago, North Korea tested an advanced missile propulsion engine. Shortly before that, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, warned about the 'dangerous escalation' of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. Secretary of State stated, 'America's strategic patience has run out, and if the threat from North Korea increases, military action is one of the options on the table.' At the same time, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a proposal to intensify sanctions against Pyongyang, which South Korea has welcomed.