Anchor: The U.S. has announced a set of additional sanction measures on North Korea to punish the regime for its continuous provocations. The sanctions are directly aimed at the North’s top governing bodies and military as well as companies helping the North procure funds for its nuclear and missile development.
Alannah Hill has more.
 
Report: The Trump administration on Thursday put in motion its second individual sanction measures on North Korea, following previous measures taken against the regime in March.
 
The fresh sanctions blacklist two North Korean individuals, including Ri Song-hyok, the head of the North’s Koryo Bank in Beijing, and a Russian national.
 
Nine companies and government institutions have also been put on the U.S. sanctions list.
 
The newly sanctioned North Korean organizations are the country’s top governing bodies, including the State Affairs Commission, the Korean People's Army and the Ministry of People's Armed Forces.
 
The sanctions also target companies providing funds for the North’s nuclear and missile development, including North Korean companies such as Korea Computer Center, Songi Trading Co. and the Korea Zinc Industrial Group.
 
It is the first time Russian companies have come under U.S. sanctions with regard to the North’ nuclear and missile programs. The Russian companies listed are Moscow-based Ardis-Bearings LLC and Independent Petroleum Co. They are known to have once exported oil to North Korea or made a deal with the North’s military supplies manufacturers.
 
The individuals and the entities put on the U.S. sanctions list will have their assets within the U.S. frozen while being banned from doing business with American companies.
 
While keeping the door open to dialogue with Pyongyang, Washington has sent a stern message of warning over the North’s continuous provocations.

The UN is also pushing for additional sanction measures on the defiant country.
 
It is reported that the U.S. and China have submitted a new North Korea sanction proposal to the UN Security Council(UNSC) and the UNSC will vote on the proposal as early as Friday.
Alannah Hill, KBS World Radio News. 
 

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