WASHINGTON – The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six North Koreans, one Russian and a Russian firm it said were responsible for procuring goods from Russia and China for North Korea’s weapons programs, an action that follows a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week. The U.S. Treasury said the steps aimed to prevent the advancement of North Korea’s weapons programs and impede its attempts to proliferate weapons technologies. The Treasury Department said the sanctions followed six North Korean ballistic missile launches since September, each of which violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. North Korea’s U.N. mission, Russia and China’s embassies in Washington and the Russian firm did not respond to requests for comment. U.N. resolutions ban North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear tests and impose sanctions.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 13, 2022 15:30 UTC