Treasury sanctions those helping North Korea with missile, space tech

July 24 (UPI) -- The Treasury Department announced a round of sanctions against six individuals and five entities connected to China for its involvement in the procurement of items to bolster North Korea 's ballistic missile and space programs.

North Korea remains under restrictions by the United Nations for its missile program, which is facing increased scrutiny because it recently reached a military-arms agreement with Russia to assist it in its invasion of Ukraine .

The Treasury said it placed sanctions on Shi Qianpei for supporting Choe Min, an individual who the United States had already sanctioned. It also identified Du Jiaxin, Wang Dongliang, Chen Tianxin and Shi Anhui as sanction targets for assisting Shi Qianpei.

Chinese businessman Han Dejian and his metal alloy sheets company Yidatong Tianjin Metal Materials Co. Ltd also were sanctioned. The department sanctioned the companies Beijing Sanshunda and Beijing Jinghua Qidi for their connection with Chen Tianxin.

The companies Qidong Hengcheng and Shenzhen City Mean Well were designated for sanctions for their ties to Shi Anhui.

"The DPRK's continued development and proliferation of ballistic missiles technologies -- in violation of UN sanctions -- is both irresponsible and destabilizing for both the region and international community," Brian Nelson, under-secretary of the Treasury terrorism and financial intelligence office, said in a statement.

"The United States remains committed to using our tools to enforce these international sanctions, including disruption of the illicit procurement networks that provide key inputs for these technologies and holding accountable those who seek to enable these activities."

The Treasury said Han Dejian and Yidaton had already been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in May because of their alleged violation of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

In a separate statement from the U.S. State Department later Wednesday afternoon, spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continues to violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, specifically pointing to a recent failed effort in May to place a military satellite into orbit.

"Moreover, the DPRK has supplied ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation, which continues to target civilian population centers and infrastructure in Ukraine," Miller said. "The United States remains committed to using all available means to expose and disrupt the networks supporting the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs and its reckless proliferation of weapons that destabilize the region and enable Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine."