South Korea and the United States have announced sanctions on parties believed to be helping to finance North Korea’s weapons programs.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday that its sanctions targeted Alis LLC based in Russia and the United Arab Emirates-based Pioneer Bencont Star Real Estate, as well as six individuals including Yu Pu-ung who is believed to have aided the North’s illegal financial activities.

In a separate statement, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Seoul and Washington decided on the joint sanctions at their sixth session of the Working Group on North Korean cyber threats in Washington this week. Seoul sanctioned the same two entities and four of the same six individuals.

The ministry said the two sanctioned entities were involved in the overseas employment of North Korean IT workers in collaboration with Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation Company under the North’s defense ministry. The company has sent North Korean IT workers to China, Russia and Laos.

The ministry added that Yu aided the North’s ministries of the military industry and rocket industry by laundering money earned by the North’s IT workers and supplying sensitive materials used to develop North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.