Treasury Department sanctions North Korean officials over missile program

The U.S. Treasury Department issued sanctions Tuesday against two “key leaders” of the North Korean ballistic missiles program: Kim Jong Sik and Ri Pyong Chol, identified as senior officials of North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department. Kim works as a key figure in missile development, including efforts to switch from liquid to solid fuel, while Ri is involved with North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile development, according to a Treasury Department statement. “Treasury is targeting leaders of North Korea’s ballistic programs, as part of our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the DPRK and achieve a fully denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement. Last week, the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea to cut down on the rogue nation’s import of petroleum products and its earnings from workers abroad.