US(Washington Insider Magazine)- The United States on Friday announced sanctions on companies and individuals in Asia suspected of assisting North Korea in obtaining fuel in breach of U.N. sanctions in the wake of this week’s increasingly belligerent missile launches from North Korea.
Three businesses and two individuals from Singapore, Taiwan, and the Marshall Islands were the focus of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury.
The United States accused them of supplying fuel through an “illicit ship-to-ship transfer” that evaded UN sanctions barring the purchase of petroleum products and supported the growth of North Korea’s military and nuclear programs.
Since the beginning of the most current wave of missile launches, which included six rounds of testing in less than 2 weeks, the isolated Asian nation has not been subject to any sanctions.
Additionally, on Thursday, North Korea flew 12 fighter jets close to the South Korean border, forcing the latter to deploy 30 military planes in retaliation, according to Seoul officials.
State Secretary Antony Blinken stated that North Korea has fired 41 ballistic missiles so far this year alone, noting that this speed, volume, and scope of launches is unprecedented.
As a result of North Korea’s recent missile launches, joint drills were held by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The sanctioned businesses include Swanseas Port Services Pte. Ltd., New Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd.,which have their headquarters in the Marshall Islands and Singapore-registered Anfasar Trading (S) Pte. Ltd. For coordinating the delivery, the U.S. also targeted Chen Shih Huan in Taiwan and Kwek Kee Seng in Singapore, reported ABC NEWS.
The sanctions prohibit them from accessing any financial assets or property held in the United States and prevent American businesses and individuals from doing business with them.
North Korea’s ballistic missile tests, according to Brian Nelson, Treasury’s assistant secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, show a continuous contempt for United Nations Security Council resolutions.
