| Submit your comments on this article |
| China-Japan-Koreas |
| U.S. imposes sanctions on 2 N. Korean trading firms |
| 2015-09-07 |
| WASHINGTON -- The United States has imposed sanctions on two North Korean trading firms under a law banning the transfer of materials related to weapons of mass destruction, according to the State Department. Polestar Trading Company, Ltd., a North Korean entity in China, and RyonHap-2, a trading firm in the North, were among a total of 22 entities sanctioned by the State Department under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act, the department said in a Federal Register notice. Affiliated with the North's Second Academy of Natural Sciences, Pyongyang's main weapons development agency, RyonHap-2 is believed to be involved in weapons exports and parts procurements. The State Department notice, published Wednesday, did not provide specific violations committed by the two firms. The sanctions will remain in place for two years, it said. In addition to the two North Korean entities, 20 foreign firms were also slapped with sanctions, including four from China, two from Iran, five from Russia, three from Sudan, four from Syria and one each from Turkey and United Arab Emirates. The addition of the two North Korean firms brought to 18 the total number of North Korean entities and individuals that remain under active sanctions under the State Department's Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act. But the U.S. Treasury Department maintains more comprehensive sanctions on counties like North Korea and Iran. About 70 North Korean individuals agencies, entities, and vessels are on the department's Specially Designated Nationals' list. |
| Posted by:Steve White |