The United States has imposed sanctions on two North Korean firms, one Hong Kong company, and three officials directly linked to the Communist nation's nuclear proliferation activities.
The U.S. Departments of State and Treasury took the action pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters.
The Departments said the designations announced on Thursday were part of the country's implementation of the new U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2087, which condemned North Korea's December launch of a rocket using ballistic missile technology, in direct violation of UNSC resolutions 1718 and 1874.
"Today's actions also support the United States' longstanding objective of impeding North Korea's ability to fund its nuclear and ballistic missile activities," the Departments said in separate statements.
The two officials designated by the Department of Treasury were Ra Ky'ong-Su and Kim Kwang-Il, the North Korea-based Tanchon Commercial Bank's (TCB) representatives to Beijing, for facilitating activity on behalf of TCB. TCB was designated in October 2009 because it acts as the financial arm of Korea's Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID), Pyongyang's premier arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.
Hong Kong-based Leader International Trading Limited was designated for facilitating the shipment of machinery and equipment to customers on behalf of KOMID and directly to KOMID representatives located outside of North Korea.
In addition, Treasury's list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) was updated on Thursday to reflect that KOMID operates under the alias Korea Kumryong Trading Corporation, an entity designated by the UNSC.
The sanctions prohibit transactions between the designees and any U.S. person, and freeze any assets designees may have under U.S. Jurisdiction.
"Our actions today target two North Korean entities, Tanchon Commercial Bank and KOMID, that are part of the web of banks, front companies and government agencies that support North Korea's continued proliferation activities," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "By continuing to expose these entities, and the individuals who assist them, we degrade North Korea's ability to use the international financial system for its illicit purposes," he added.
The State Department's sanctions target the Korean Committee for Space Technology (KCST), KCST senior official and head of its satellite control center Paek Chang-Ho, and Chang Myong-Chin, General Manager of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, where the launches took place.
The Korean Committee for Space Technology orchestrated the launches of the Taepo-Dong 2 via the satellite control center and Sohae launch area. The technology used to launch a satellite is virtually identical to and interchangeable with that used in an intercontinental ballistic missile. KCST has contributed directly to North's long-range ballistic missile development efforts, the he State Department said in a press release.
The State Department said these actions aim to disrupt North Korea's continued WMD proliferation and procurement efforts that are in flagrant violation of UNSC resolutions. North Korea will continue to face isolation if it refuses to take concrete steps to address the concerns of the international community over its nuclear and missile programs, it warned.
The State Department added that by UNSC's unanimous adoption of a resolution on January 22 "once again, the international community has sent a clear, united signal that North Korean provocations that undermine international security and the global nonproliferation regime, like the December rocket launch, will not be tolerated."
Separately, European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc would consider additional measures targeting North Korea in consultation with its key partners in pursuance of the UNSC resolution.
She deplored the announcement by the North Korean authorities that they intend to proceed with further provocative actions, including a new nuclear test.
The High Representative called on Pyongyang to "choose a more constructive path, through engagement with the international community, including in the framework of the Six-Party Talks, which would be conducive to regional stability and would improve the welfare of the North Korean people."
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