Two key figures involved in North Korea missile program sanctioned by US

The US has announced sanctions against two North Korean missile developers.

“The possibility of radiation exposure can be suspected, but it has not been verified whether nuclear tests affected the person as there is a lack of information assessing living environments in North Korea”, a ministry official said on Wednesday, quoted in South Korean news agency Yonhap.

United Nations unanimously imposed new, tougher sanctions on North Korea on Friday for its recent ICBM test, a move the North branded an economic blockade and act of war. The new sanctions against the officials freeze the assets they may have in the United States. The resolution put a cap on the country’s crude oil imports and limits imports of refined oil products.

According to the sources, the agreement was reached before the latest push for more sanctions against the rogue state, in early November. Solid propellants grant land-based missiles greater responsiveness and improve their survivability compared to the liquid-fueled counterparts, which need to be fueled prior to launch. “The two leaders (Trump and Merkel) condemned North Korea’s continued reckless and unsafe behavior and reaffirmed the importance of close coordination at the UN”. Citing unnamed sources, the daily said there was a dramatic step-up in preparations for a military response to North Korea’s missile tests.

Kim Jong Sik, a veteran rocket scientist, and Ri Pyong Chol, a former senior air force commander, are often seen on television and in photographs with leader Kim Jong Un, walking down the red carpet or sharing a smoke with him to celebrate a successful missile launch. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and often plays golf with the president, recently said he believes there’s a 30 percent chance Trump will take military action against North Korea. It later extended the ban to seafood, iron and iron ore. In May, North Korean Supreme Leader declared the KN15 fully operational and ordered its mass production. In September, the UN Security Council approved tough sanctions against the country.

At the same time, the cooperative relationship between the United States and China would depend on sufficient implementation of sanctions against North Korea and the sharing of intelligence.