US Imposes Sanctions On 5 North Korean Firms Over Missile Tests

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on five North Korean entities in response to ballistic missile tests.

"The United States is sanctioning five Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) entities pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. 

Today's action is in response to the DPRK's ongoing development of its WMD and ballistic missile programs in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating the DPRK Ministry of Rocket Industry and four of its subordinate companies, Unchon Trading Corporation, Sungnisan Trading Corporation, Hapjanggang Trading Corporation, and Korea Rounsan Trading Corporation.

The DPRK Ministry of Rocket Industry is subordinate to the DPRK's Munitions Industry Department, which is responsible for overseeing the DPRK's ballistic missile programs and was sanctioned by the Department of State in 2010.

The DPRK Ministry of Rocket Industry works with DPRK overseas representatives from other DPRK organizations to support the Ministry of Rocket Industry procurement goals, the statement said.

The DPRK's escalatory launches of ballistic missiles - including at least three recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests - are a blatant violation of UNSC resolutions and pose a grave threat to regional stability and international peace and security, according to the statement.

"We continue to coordinate closely with our allies and partners to address the threats posed by the DPRK's destabilizing activities and to advance our shared objective of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

"We remain committed to diplomacy with the DPRK and call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue. At the same time, we continue to urge all UN Member States to fully implement the UNSC resolutions addressing the DPRK in order to constrain its ability to advance its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the statement said.

As a result of today's sanctions, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or entities or within the United States must be blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from dealing with any of the designated parties, it added.

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