US enacts sanctions against North Korean groups and individuals

Posted on : 2015-12-10 15:38 KST Modified on : 2015-12-10 15:38 KST
Additional sanctions appear to be mostly a symbolic move instead of one that aims at actual results
The Dec. 8 press release from the US State Department
The Dec. 8 press release from the US State Department

The US government has added four groups and six individuals in North Korea as subject to sanctions for allegedly proliferating or supporting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

The list includes the “Strategic Force” involved in ballistic missile operations in North Korea. The designation could be a symbolic move aimed at ratcheting up pressure on Pyongyang instead of seeking actual results.

“To further impede North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs, the Department of State is announcing on December 8 the designation of North Korea’s Strategic Force for its contribution to North Korea’s WMD-related activities,” the US State Department and Treasury Department said in a press release on Dec. 8.

“The Strategic Force conducted multiple ballistic missile launches during 2014. Specifically, it conducted the launches of two short-range Scud-class ballistic missiles, test-fired two medium-range No Dong-class ballistic missiles, and conducted the launch of a short-range ballistic missile,” the press release continued.

“All missiles had a range of 500km or greater. The launches of these missiles materially contributed to North Korea’s ballistic missile program,” it added.

The US government‘s sanctions against the Strategic Force appear unrelated to North Korea’s test-launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a major topic of discussion recently. In addition to giving a missile launch conducted last year as a basis for its designation, it has reportedly not yet finished its assessment of North Korea’s SLBM capabilities.

Along with the Strategic Force, the US also designated three shipping firms - Haejin, Pyongjin, and Yongjin - as targets for sanctions. The companies are either owned by or act on behalf of the Ocean Maritime Management Company (OMM), which was previously designated for sanctions by the UN, the US claimed.

The six individuals named on the list were all connected with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) or Tanchon Commercial Bank (TCB), both of which have been also been designated for UN sanctions. The names include TCB Vietnam branch representative Choe Song-il and Syria branch representatives Jang Bom-su and Jon Myong-guk, along with FTB Russia branch representative Kim Kyong Nam and TCB representative Ko Tae Hun.

When a person or entity is designated for sanctions by the US, their assets in the US are frozen and financial transactions with Americans are banned. Given the near-total lack of transactions between North Korea and the US, the sanctions appear unlikely to have any practical effects.

The move by Washington could also be a signal that the US does not intend to accommodate North Korea‘s recent moves toward more conciliatory foreign policy without it making some steps toward denuclearization.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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