Anchor: The United States on Wednesday sanctioned three Chinese and Russian companies it accuses of helping North Korea with illicit trade in breach of international sanctions against the regime. The move comes 12 days after Washington slapped sanctions on a Russian bank it said was involved in North Korean trading activity. 
Our Moon Myoung-shin has more. 

Report: The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three Chinese and Russian companies and one Russian businessman for their alleged role in facilitating illicit trade with North Korea. 

Those targeted are China's Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading and its Singapore-based affiliate SINSMS, along with Russia's port service agency Profinet and its director general, Vasili Aleksandrovich Kolchanov. 
 
They are accused of helping North Korea evade international sanctions by re-routing exports and imports through Chinese and Russian ports. 

The U.S. Treasury said the Chinese company and its Singaporean affiliate had used false shipping documents to transport alcohol and tobacco products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. 

It said the Russian firm and its director provided port services at least six times to North Korean-flagged vessels engaged in illicit oil shipments. 

The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bans Americans from conducting business with them. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the tactics these Chinese and Russian entities used to attempt to evade sanctions are prohibited under U.S. law. He stressed that the consequences for violating sanctions will remain in place until the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea is achieved. 
 
The move comes 12 days after Washington imposed unilateral sanctions on a Russian bank, a North Korean businessman and two firms working as front companies for a North Korean bank. 

The latest sanctions were imposed ​amid predictions that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will soon visit North Korea again after Washington and Pyongyang held working-level talks at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom over the weekend. 

Analysts say it is an indicator of the U.S.' determination to keep pressuring North Korea to denuclearize while still maintaining dialogue with the regime. 
Moon Myoung-shin, KBS World Radio News.