A TV station broadcasts file footage of a news report on the DPRK firing a ballistic missile off its east coast, Seoul, South Korea, January 5, 2022. (Photo from CGTN)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was sanctioned by the United States on Wednesday for the first time under President Joe Biden's administration over its weapons programs.
The sanctions came after a series of the DPRK's missile launches, including two over the past week.
U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement Wednesday that the sanctions followed the DPRK's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021. Each of them, he said, had violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
"Today's actions, part of the United States' ongoing efforts to counter the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, target its continued use of overseas representatives to illegally procure goods for weapons," Nelson said.
The United States remains committed to seeking dialogue and diplomacy with the DPRK, but will continue to address the threat posed by the country's unlawful weapons programs to the United States and the international community, according to the statement.
