U.S. Will Impose Sanctions On North Korean Officials For Their Involvement In Ballistic Missile Program

On December 2nd, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three members of the central committee of North Korea’s ruling party for their involvement in the country’s ballistic missile program on December 1st. The Treasury Department announced their implementation of asset freezes on the director and vice director of the Workers Party of Korea as well as another central committee member and they ban Americans from doing business with them.

The Treasury Department said in a statement that the three officials played an important role in Pyongyang’s development of ballistic missiles and have personally attended multiple missile launches since 2017. They were penalized by the EU this April and have previously been included in the U.S.’s existing sanctions on North Korea’s ruling party. Dozens of tests have included intercontinental ballistic missiles with a potential range to reach the U.S. mainland and an intermediate-range missile flying over Japan. Pyongyang also conducted a series of short-range launches and its military exercises have caused significant dissatisfaction among allies.

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament adopted a law in September, authorizing preemptive nuclear strikes in a wide range of scenarios, including non-war situations.