US Imposes Immediate Additional Sanctions on North Korea, China, and Russia... "Trilateral Cooperation Among South Korea, US, and Japan"

Announcement 1 Hour After North Korea ICBM Launch Confirmation

Ned Price, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 24th (local time), the United States imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities from North Korea and Russia related to North Korea's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). This measure was taken just one hour after North Korea officially confirmed its ICBM launch, repeatedly emphasizing that there is no security gap in response to North Korea's provocations.

The U.S. Department of State announced that it would impose additional sanctions on one North Korean entity and one North Korean national, two Russian entities and one Russian national, and one Chinese entity for violating the Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA, hereafter Nonproliferation Act).

In North Korea, the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, which leads advanced weapons development, and Ri Sung-chol, a senior official of the Ministry of People's Security, were added to the sanctions list for procuring sensitive materials related to missile development. The State Department described this as "part of efforts to disrupt North Korea's missile program advancement." Regarding Ri Sung-chol, it explained that he "transferred sensitive items related to the missile program to North Korea."

In Russia, two companies, Ardis Group and PFK Profpodshipnik, and Igor Alexandrovich Michurin, a person affiliated with Ardis Group, were added to the sanctions list for the same charges. The Chinese equipment company Zhengzhou Nanbei was included on the sanctions list for supplying materials controlled under the Chemical Weapons Nonproliferation Agreement to Syria.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the State Department, said, "This decision shows the necessity for all countries to remain vigilant about North Korea and Syria's weapons development," adding, "We will continue to block these programs."

The United States took this action just one hour after North Korea officially confirmed its ICBM launch. This is interpreted as reflecting a firm stance to respond decisively to North Korea's provocations amid the turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As North Korea's ballistic missile military demonstrations continue, the need for trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan was reiterated. U.S. President Joe Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Brussels, Belgium, where the G7 summit was held, and conveyed the United States' firm commitment to the security of South Korea and Japan. On the 24th, South Korean Minister of National Defense Seo Wook and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin agreed in a phone call to further discuss trilateral security cooperation.

In the United States and Japan, voices calling for additional responses are emerging as North Korea's missile technology advances. Glen VanHerck, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, emphasized at the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that "North Korea's development of increasingly complex and capable strategic weapons shows the need for timely or early deployment of next-generation missile defense interceptors and new long-range radars." Prime Minister Kishida stated, "North Korea's ICBM launch is an unacceptable outrage. We will respond properly in cooperation with related countries, including the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliances, including sanctions," mentioning the possibility of additional sanctions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.