WASHINGTON/SEOUL听–听The United States on Thursday听迟补谤驳别迟ed听狈辞谤迟丑听碍辞谤别补听with fresh听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉听after its听濒补耻苍肠丑听of a spy听蝉补迟别濒濒颈迟别听last week, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉听别惫补蝉颈辞苍听to gather聽revenue and technology for its weapons of mass destruction program.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said it also applied听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉听迟辞听cyber espionage group Kimsuky, accusing it of gathering intelligence to support听狈辞谤迟丑听Korea‘s strategic and nuclear ambitions.
Thursday’s action, taken in coordination with Australia, Japan and听碍辞谤别补, comes after听狈辞谤迟丑听碍辞谤别补听last week successfully听濒补耻苍肠丑ed its聽, which it has said was designed to monitor US and South听碍辞谤别补n military movements.
“Today’s actions by the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of聽碍辞谤别补听reflect our collective commitment to contesting Pyongyang’s illicit and destabilizing activities,” Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement.
“We will remain focused on听迟补谤驳别迟ing these key nodes in the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation and weapons proliferation,” Mr. Nelson added, calling听狈辞谤迟丑听碍辞谤别补听by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of听碍辞谤别补.
South听碍辞谤别补‘s foreign ministry said on Friday that it had blacklisted 11听狈辞谤迟丑听Koreans for involvement in the country’s听蝉补迟别濒濒颈迟别听and ballistic missile development, banning them from any financial transactions.
The list includes senior officials from the National Aerospace Technology Administration, which oversaw the听蝉补迟别濒濒颈迟别听launch, and the munitions industry department.
狈辞谤迟丑听Korea‘s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday’s听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉.
Since the聽,听狈辞谤迟丑听碍辞谤别补听said that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has reviewed spy聽聽of the White House, Pentagon and US aircraft carriers at the naval base of Norfolk. Its state media has also reported that the听蝉补迟别濒濒颈迟别听photographed cities and military bases in South听碍辞谤别补, Guam, and Italy, in addition to Washington.
On Monday, the United Nations ambassadors of the United States and听狈辞谤迟丑听碍辞谤别补听聽at the Security Council over the听濒补耻苍肠丑听and the reasons for growing tensions in a rare, direct, public exchange between the adversaries.
Thursday’s action freezes any US assets of those听迟补谤驳别迟ed and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those who engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉.
The Treasury said Kimsuky primarily听耻蝉es spear-phishing to听迟补谤驳别迟聽people employed by the government, research centers, academic institutions and others, including in Europe, Japan, Russia, South聽碍辞谤别补听and the United States.
In October 2020, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) described the group as “likely tasked by the听狈辞谤迟丑听Korean regime with a global intelligence gathering mission.”
Security researchers have found the group impersonating reporters to trick听迟补谤驳别迟s into downloading malicio耻蝉听software to spy on them. Kimsuky’s hacking operation has been historically focused on South听碍辞谤别补, Japan and the United States.
In June, the US National Security Agency said the hackers, which have been operating since at least 2012, were “subordinate to an element within听狈辞谤迟丑听Korea‘s Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB).” The RGB is a听狈辞谤迟丑听Korean intelligence agency that is involved in cyber warfare activities, according to analysts, and is under US听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉.
Also听迟补谤驳别迟ed on Thursday were Iran and China-based representatives of US and UN-designated Green Pine, which the Treasury said is responsible for half of听狈辞谤迟丑听Korea‘s arms and related materiel exports.
Two Russia-based representatives of听狈辞谤迟丑听Korean banks and one China-based representative were also hit with听蝉补苍肠迟颈辞苍蝉, among others. – Reuters
