Seoul’s top diplomat in Vietnam says the Southeast Asian nation expelled North Korean individuals blacklisted by the U.S. as part of expanded sanctions against the regime.

Ambassador Lee Hyuk said during a parliamentary inspection of overseas missions held in Hanoi Friday that Kim Yong-su, head of the Vietnamese branch of North Korean shipping company Ocean Maritime Management(OMM), was forced to leave Vietnam in July. Kim was one of eleven individuals targeted by Washington in March.

Sanctioned by the UN Security Council, OMM handles exports of North Korean iron ore and coal, and is involved in supplying funds for the North’s spy agency Reconnaissance General Bureau.

Lee said Vietnam also refused to extend visas for 21 North Koreans working in information and technology sectors. 

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