WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States imposed sanctions on five North Koreans linked to the country’s ballistic missile program, a day after Pyongyang carried out what it said was the launch of a hypersonic missile.
The Treasury Department said the five individuals being sanctioned were “responsible for procuring goods for (North Korea’s) weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile-related programs.”
“Today’s actions, part of the United States’ ongoing efforts to counter (North Korea’s) weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, target its continued use of overseas representatives to illegally procure goods for weapons,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
“(North Korea’s) latest missile launches are further evidence that it continues to advance prohibited programs despite the international community’s calls for diplomacy and denuclearization,” Nelson said.
North Korean state media reported on Wednesday that the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, personally oversaw the successful test of the hypersonic missile, the second such launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week.
The missile carrying a “hypersonic gliding vehicle” hit “the set target in waters 1,000 km off,” the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
This is the third reported North Korean test of a hypersonic gliding missile to date, following one in September 2021 and one last week, as the country looks to add the sophisticated weapon to its arsenal.
Russia, the United States and China have all said they have successfully tested hypersonic glide vehicles, with Russia generally seen as the world leader in the technology so far.
The Tuesday test came as the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss Pyongyang’s weapons programs.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the launch “violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”
The hypersonic tests come as North Korea has refused to respond to US appeals for talks.
Dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains stalled and the country is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. — NNN-AGENCIES
