US slaps new sanctions on North Korea over weapons program

The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday over its nuclear weapons program.

“Treasury continues to systematically target individuals and entities financing the Kim regime and its weapons programs, including officials complicit in North Korean sanctions evasion schemes,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The U.S. is targeting nine entities, 16 people and six vessels under the sanctions.

{mosads}The department also announced it was targeting “illicit actors” in Russia and China for working with North Korean financial networks, as well as oil, shipping and trading companies that do business with North Korea.

Relations between North Korea and the U.S. have declined over the past year amid Pyongyang’s continued testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles and President Trump’s warnings to the nation.

President Trump praised his administration’s sanctions on North Korea earlier this month. 

Sanctions and “other” pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not – we will see!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018

Despite declining tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, relations between North Korea and South Korea appear to be improving.

North and South Korean leaders have taken part in negotiations for the first time in years on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.