The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday new sanctions against a North Korean computer hacker and the government entity that employs him for their involvement in several cyberattacks.

The department accused 34-year-old programmer Park Jin-hyok and his employer, Chosun Expo Joint Venture, of taking part in the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, an 81-million-dollar heist on the Bank of Bangladesh in 2016, and the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack.

Chosun Expo Joint Venture is an alleged North Korean government front company with offices in North Korea and China. 

The U.S. Justice Department also brought criminal charges against Park, a move several U.S. media outlets noted is the first time the department has levied charges against a North Korean national for illicit cybercrimes.

[Photo : YONHAP News]