The US, South Korea, and Japan have imposed new sanctions on a Russian company and two individuals for their alleged involvement in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs. The US Treasury Department made the announcement, stating that the sanctions were enacted in response to the DPRK’s attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite into orbit on August 23.
The sanctioned individuals are Jon Jin Yong and Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov, while the sanctioned entity is Intellekt LLC. According to the Treasury Department, these sanctions were implemented to target those involved in generating revenue for the DPRK’s unlawful development of WMD and ballistic missiles. It is alleged that both Jon Jin Yong and Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov engaged in activities that contributed to the DPRK’s weapons programs.
Jon Jin Yong, a member of the Workers’ Party of Korea, was sanctioned for his official position within the party. Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov provided material assistance to Jon Jin Yong, and it is claimed that they collaborated in Moscow to purchase supplies for the shipbuilding industry. Kozlov also allegedly helped Jon Jin Yong obtain identification documents for his DPRK IT team in Russia.
Additionally, Jon Jin Yong and Sergey Mikhaylovich Kozlov are accused of coordinating a construction project in Moscow between Kozlov’s company, Intellekt LLC, and a front company for the DPRK’s sanctioned organization, SANS.
The DPRK’s recent attempted satellite launch was defended by its Ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, who stated that it was an exercise of the country’s right to self-defense. The DPRK aims to build its self-defense capability, and Kim emphasized that the satellite launch did not pose any threat to neighboring countries’ security.
The DPRK has also announced its intention to make a third attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite in October, following two previous failed attempts.
