WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed a new round of economic sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies and individuals who it said are working with North Korea.
Sanctions have served as the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically over the last two decades as the country has developed and tested nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The United Nations Security Council supports the efforts, voting unanimously this month for a package of additional sanctions after North Korea successfully tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles.
After North Korean media said the country's autocratic ruler, Kim Jong Un, was considering a plan to send four ballistic missiles into waters off Guam, President Donald Trump warned that he could unleash "fire and fury" if North Korea attacked the U.S. territory.
Kim shelved the plan, at least for now, and tensions eased. His government has denounced annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began Monday, but without adding a specific threat of attack.
The newest Treasury Department sanctions target 10 firms and six individuals, all from China or Russia. The sanctions mean U.S. authorities can freeze any assets the targets have in the United States, and U.S. companies and people are barred from doing business with them.
Among those blacklisted are a company based in Hong Kong accused of helping finance Pyongyang's ballistic missile program; three Chinese coal companies that the U.S. says imported nearly $500 million in North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016; and a Chinese firm based in Africa that facilitates the employment of North Korean workers, whose wages go to Kim's government.
Three Russians who run a company that exports oil to North Korea also were targeted, administration officials said.
"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.
"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region," he added.
