June 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United States Department of the Treasury has published this Thursday new sanctions against two North Korean citizens who, from China, would have maneuvered to provide North Korea with the necessary resources to continue developing its ballistic missile program.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has warned that North Korea uses an “extensive network” of agents in foreign countries, including China and Iran, to circumvent sanctions and illegally import the components and equipment it it needs to develop its weapons program.
On this occasion, those named are Choe Chol Min, representative in Beijing of the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, a North Korean research center designated by the UN and the United States for developing “weapons of mass destruction”, and his wife, Choe Un Jong , assigned to the North Korean Embassy in the Chinese capital.
“North Korea’s continued development of its ballistic missile program, including the recent failed launch of a military satellite, continues to threaten regional and international security,” said Brian Nelson, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Under the weight of these sanctions, all those indicated see their assets in the United States frozen and economic transactions of all kinds with US citizens and entities are prohibited.
