Parts for the rockets were procured. US imposes economic sanctions on North Korean couple in China

The US government has imposed sanctions on a North Korean couple living in China for allegedly helping them acquire weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea continues to use a network of agents overseas, including China and Iran, to import prohibited components needed for research and development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, the US Treasury Department said Thursday.

The couple, now under sanctions, are said to have worked with representatives of China to procure materials for North Korean missile production. As a result of the sanctions, all of the victims’ assets in the United States will be frozen. US citizens are prohibited from doing business with them. International trade is also generally made more difficult for those affected by sanctions.

Conflict with North Korea, which is subject to international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, has flared up again. After unprecedented missile tests last year, the largely isolated country has repeated several nuclear missile tests this year. According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the open sea on Thursday evening (local time).

sda/tgab