The United States imposed new sanctions on a network of Russia-based individuals and businesses accused of helping North Korea procure parts for its nuclear weapons program on Friday.
The announcement came after Washington claimed that North Korea used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system in its two recent launches on February 26 and March 4.
” [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] Continuing to launch ballistic missiles for explicit violations of international law poses a serious threat to global security, “said Bryant Nelson, Secretary of the Ministry of Terrorism, Finance and Information Finance. SaidSee the official name of North Korea.
The sanctions targeted two Russians, Aleksandr Andreyevich Geyevoy and Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Chasovnikov, and three Russian companies, including Apollon, Zeel-M and RK Briz.
As a result of sanctions, all assets and assets in the United States will be blocked.
US Treasury statement North Korea has launched 11 ballistic missiles since the beginning of 2022, the latest on March 4, and North Korean state media is trying to test cameras onboard reconnaissance satellites. Stated.
After analyzing the new missile test, the US government concluded Thursday that it would include the “new intercontinental ballistic missile system” that North Korea first announced at its military parade on October 10, 2020.
“The purpose of these tests, which did not show the range of the ICBM, is likely to evaluate this new system before conducting the test at full range, which may be disguised as a space launch in the future.” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
The focused ICBM is North Korea’s largest missile, the Mars 17, which can fly up to 15,000 km (9,320 miles), sufficient distance to attack the United States and abroad.
North Korean state media Said Friday, when the leader of the Kim Jong-un administration visited the national satellite test site and called for modernization on an “expansion basis” to enable “launch of various rockets.”
The report also said Kim had “assigned a mission to build several facilities at the launch site” and gave detailed instructions on “the problem of expanding the capacity of the engine ground jet test site.”
South Korea urged North Korea on Friday to immediately stop its efforts to increase tensions and regional security tensions.Yonhap News Agency also warned that North Korea seems to be restoring part of the Pungieri nuclear test site that it destroyed in May 2018 as a sign of its pledge to end the nuclear test. report.
The United States has called for a return to dialogue, but has ignored it because North Korea says it is a hostile policy for the United States and its allies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.