The Korea Observer:
The United States has imposed sanctions on two North Korean companies for involvement in missile technology proliferation activities, government records showed Wednesday.
The U.S. government determined on Sept. 11 that the North’s Korea Mining and Development Corp. and Hesong Trading Corp. engaged in such illicit activities, the State Department said in a Federal Register notice dated Sept. 24.
It did not provide further details of their illicit activities.
The sanctions, which will be good for two years, call for banning the transfer of controlled items to the North Korean firms as well as imports of all products produced by them. The two entities will also be denied all U.S. government contracts.
According to the notice, the same sanctions will be applied to all activities of the North Korean government that are related to the development or production of missile equipment or affect the development or production of electronics, space systems or equipment, and military aircraft.
The fresh sanctions came amid concern that North Korea could launch a long-range rocket, possibly around the Oct. 10 anniversary of its ruling Workers Party. Such launches are banned under U.N. resolutions as they could be used to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles…
