Seoul sanctions Russian individual involved in Pyongyang’s illegal weapons-financing activities

Seoul: South Korea on Wednesday imposed unilateral sanctions on a Russian individual of Korean descent involved in the illegal financing of Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction programs, the Foreign Ministry here said.

Choi Chon Gon of Russia was among the total of four entities — two individuals and two organisations — newly added to Seoul’s sanctions list against Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development programs, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying

Choi, previously a South Korean national, founded a North Korea front company named Hanne Ulaan LCC in Mongolia for the purpose of evading international sanctions while securing funding for Pyongyang’s weapons programs.

He is also accused of having supported Pyongyang’s illegal financing by establishing Epsilon, a Russia-based trading firm, through a joint investment partnership with So Myong, head of the North’s Foreign Trade Bank branch in Vladivostok.

The three other entities newly added to the sanctions list were So, Hanne Ulaan and Epsilon.

The announcement marks the Seoul’s ninth unilateral sanctions measure against the North since the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in May last year, and the first time adding an international individual of Korean descent to the blacklist.

A total of 45 individuals and 47 agencies have been added to the sanctions list since Yoon came to office.

–IANS