South Korea imposes sanctions on 11 North Korean individuals, 4 entities over ICBM launch

Seoul, Nov 1 South Korea on Friday announced fresh sanctions targeting 11 North Korean individuals and four entities in response to the North's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this week.

On Thursday, North Korea fired the new Hwasong-19 ICBM toward the East Sea at a lofted angle, in the first such launch in almost a year. If fired on a normal trajectory, it would be capable of hitting the US mainland, reports Yonhap news agency.

Choe Kwang-su, one of the sanctioned individuals, is suspected of involvement in exports of North Korean weapons and related items, the South Korean foreign ministry said in a release.

Pak Chun-san, So Tong-myong, Kim Il-su, Choe Chun-sik and Kang Song-sam have allegedly worked for a company engaged in nuclear and missile development and earning money for the North Korean government.

Choe Chol-min, a diplomat stationed in the North's embassy in China, was included in the list, along with his wife, Choe Un-jong, for their roles in procuring ballistic missile components and other dual-use items.

Choe Chol-min is also being sanctioned for involvement in sending more than 1,000 North Korean workers to China.

Im Song-sun, Choe Song-chol and Ju Ryang-won, and four entities are suspected of working to earn hard currency for the Kim Jong-un regime through the dispatch of its workers overseas, the ministry said.

The three individuals are suspected of funnelling the profits from a construction project in Senegal to the North Korean regime.

The four entities are Tongbang Construction, Patisen S.A., the Kumrung Company, and EMG Universal Auto, which are suspected of being involved in the North's dispatch of its workers.

Under multiple UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions resolutions, member countries are prohibited from sales and transfers of goods to and from North Korea that can be used in weapons development.

They are also banned from allowing North Korean workers into their countries and obliged to send all North Korean labourers back home under two UNSC sanctions resolutions adopted in 2017.

The sanctions will formally come into force on November 6.

Source: IANS