Trilateral cooperation strengthens regarding N. Korean provocations

The South Korean government additionally imposed sanctions on eight individuals and seven entities related to North Korean nuclear missiles and weapons development or aversion of the U.N. sanctions against the North. The sanctions, levied for the second time by South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol administration independently, came in just 49 days since the first round of ban on October 14. The U.S. and Japan announced their lists of sanctions on the same day, showing a joint trilateral response to a series of North Korean provocations, including the latest ICBM launch.

South Korea's list includes newly added individuals such as Ri Myong Hun and Ri Jong Won. Choi Song Nam, Ko Il Hwan Ko, Baek Jong Sam, and Kim Chol, who either belong to U.N. sanctioned financial institutions or involved in illegal transport of materials via outlawed transshipment. Seven newly added entities such as Namkang Trading were involved in illegal financial activities, sending North Korean workers illegally or avoiding sanctions against the regime.

The U.S. and Japan also announced their own sanctions against the North. The U.S. Treasury Department added three individuals including Workers’ Party of Korea officials Jon Il Ho, Yoo Jin, and Kim Su Gil for their major roles in North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. Those individuals are also on the list of the EU sanctions announced in April 2022. Jeon and Yu were featured on a North Korean media outlet, smoking together with Kim Jong Un at the test launching of Hwasong-Type 15 missile in 2017. Japan added one individual and three groups to the asset freeze list, including weapons dealer Haekumkang Trading and North Korean hacking group Lazarus.

The three nations announced new lists of their own that overlap with one another. The three individuals added by the U.S. Treasury Department have been on South Korea's list since 2016 and the individuals and institutions added by South Korea have already been under sanctions by the U.S.


Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com · Jeong-Soo Hong hong@donga.com