Seoul imposes sanctions on North Korea for involvement in Ukraine war

South Korea announced on Tuesday it would impose sanctions on four North Korean individuals believed to have been deployed to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

This marks the first sanctions designation following confirmation of North Korea's troop deployment,News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.

The announcement came after South Korea, the United States, the European Union and eight other countries issued a statement condemning the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in the "strongest possible terms."

Kim Yong-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and Sin Kum-chol, director of its operations bureau, were among the 11 individuals added to South Korea's independent sanctions list, the foreign ministry said in a release.

The list also includes Ri Pong-chun, an army general who's allegedly heading the "Storm Corps" special troops deployed to Russia's western war front lines, and Ri Song-jin, a missile developer, also believed to have been sent to the war border regions.

South Korea also imposed sanctions on seven other individuals and 15 entities for their involvement in illegal military cooperation with Russia in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such activities.

They were designated for their roles in procuring funds and materials for the North's development of nuclear and missile programs.

The new sanctions designation will take effect Thursday.

News.Az