The Treasury Department sanctioned nine entities, 16 individuals with ties to North Korea and six shipping companies and vessels -- the latest move to cripple financial ties that might aid the rogue nation's nuclear weapons program.
"Treasury continues to systematically target individuals and entities financing the Kim regime and its weapons program, including officials complicit in North Korean sanctions evasion," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
The latest measure targets oil, shipping, and trading companies that continue to provide a lifeline to North Korea, fueling the regime's nuclear ambitions and destabilizing activities.
The administration also sanctioned the North Korean Ministry of Crude Oil Industry, which handles crude oil for Pyongyang. It also sanctioned five other North Korean shipping companies. Treasury also added North Korea's only electronics company: Hana Electronics JVC to its sanctions list.
Treasury also named 10 individuals of the Korea Ryonbong General Corporation, which had been previously sanctioned by the United Nations. The company specializes in acquiring supplies for North Korea's defense industries and support to Pyongyang's military-related sales, according to Treasury.
Many of the sanctioned individuals are located at Ryonbong offices in China near the border of North Korea, where they have reportedly supported the regime in a number of ways. For example, the U.S. government accused them of helping to support North Korea's chemical weapons program.
The Treasury's latest move comes after Pyongyang conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test late last year. Following the launch, the nation's leader, Kim Jong Un, said the country could now strike the United States with a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
The missile test prompted President Trump to warn in a tweet that "major" new sanctions were coming soon.