South Korea sanctions 8 North Koreans over arms trade, cyberattacks

SEOUL - South Korea imposed sanctions on eight North Koreans linked to nuclear and missile development through arms trade, cyberattacks and other illicit activities, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Wednesday (Dec 27).

The sanctions came days after North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which South Korea and the United States strongly condemned as a grave violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The newly blacklisted people include Ri Chang Ho, head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau involved in overseas hacking operations, and Yun Chol, who helped supply nuclear materials while working at the North Korean Embassy in China, the ministry said.

"The eight were involved in generating profits for the North Korean regime and financing nuclear weapons and missiles development by earning foreign currency through illegal cyber activities or stealing technology and trading sanctioned goods including weapons," it said in a statement.

Amid a prolonged stalemate at the UN, Seoul has slapped sanctions against Pyongyang independently or together with Washington and Tokyo, seeking to squeeze its funding sources.

South Korea has blacklisted 83 individuals and 53 entities related to North Korea's weapons programmes since October 2022.

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