US Treasury Adds Sanctions on Three North Korean Officials Involved in Ballistic Missile Development

"Persons Involved in the Development of Weapons of Mass Destruction"
UN Security Council Additional Sanctions Blocked, Independent Sanctions Imposed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of the Treasury has added three North Korean Workers' Party officials involved in the development of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles to its sanctions list. This move is interpreted as an independent additional sanction effort following North Korea's repeated ballistic missile provocations, after attempts to impose further sanctions through the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) were repeatedly blocked due to opposition from China and Russia.

On the 1st (local time), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under the U.S. Treasury Department announced the addition of Jeon Il-ho, Chairman of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science Institute; Yu Jin, former Director of the Party's Munitions Industry Department; and Kim Su-gil, former Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, to the North Korea sanctions list. The Treasury Department explained that this action targets individuals who directly commanded North Korean institutions involved in WMD development.

Following North Korea's launch of the new Hwasong-17 ICBM on the 18th of last month and a total of 63 ballistic missile provocations this year, the U.S. is understood to have taken additional independent sanctions measures. Previously, the U.S. had sought additional sanctions against North Korea at the UNSC level, but these efforts were repeatedly blocked by Russia and China.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Jeon Il-ho and Yu Jin, newly added to the sanctions list, served as deputy director and director, respectively, of the Munitions Industry Department, playing key roles in WMD development that violated multiple UNSC resolutions, and have directly observed several ballistic missile launches since at least 2017. The Munitions Industry Department is the North Korean agency responsible for the military industry and oversees the National Defense Science Institute, which leads research and development of major strategic weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

Kim Su-gil, also added to the sanctions list, served as Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army from 2018 to 2021, overseeing the implementation of Workers' Party decisions related to the WMD program. He was replaced in January last year and is currently known to be serving as the Secretary of the Kangwon Province Party Committee. Earlier, the European Union (EU) independently added these three individuals to its sanctions list on April 21, judging them responsible for North Korea's WMD and ballistic missile programs.

Brian Nelson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the Treasury Department, stated, "The Treasury Department, through close trilateral coordination with South Korea and Japan, has sanctioned officials who played leading roles in North Korea's illicit WMD and ballistic missile programs," emphasizing, "North Korea's recent missile launches demonstrate the need for all countries to fully implement UNSC resolutions to prevent North Korea from acquiring the technology, materials, and imports necessary to develop prohibited WMD and ballistic missile capabilities."