EU imposes sanctions on individuals and entities in North Korea and Russia

Brussels, October 12 (KUNA) -- The European Union imposed sanctions on three individuals and four entities in North Korea on Monday for their involvement in nuclear and missile activities, as well as activities that contribute to strengthening military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia. In a statement, the EU Council said the new sanctions target activities including the deployment of North Korean workers in Russia, commercial and industrial cooperation, and the exchange of arms for oil, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. It added that among the individuals listed are Ri Song-jin, a researcher at North Korea’s State Academy of Natural Sciences, and an official from the General Bureau of Ballistic Missiles who was sent to Russia as a technician to support the use of North Korean missiles. The statement clarified that the sanctions list also includes the Russian real estate development company Samolet Group and its CEO, Anna Nikolaevna Akinishina, for employing North Korean workers in construction projects in Vladivostok, as well as Vladimir Alexandrovich Sokolov, founder and head of the Russian holding company Black Horse, for his role in facilitating commercial and industrial cooperation with North Korea. The list also includes Baekyangsan Shipping, which operates a vessel involved in the illegal transport of refined petroleum products from Russia to North Korea in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2397, and Golden Autumn Agroholding, a subsidiary of Black Horse. This brings the total number of individuals and entities on the EU sanctions list to 80 individuals and 25 entities, in addition to sanctions imposed under UN Security Council resolutions. (End) A.R.N. / F.S.