US escalates sanctions on North Korea, targeting Air Koryo

The US, following a move earlier this week by the UN, escalated its own sanctions on North Korea. The US Treasury Department said the measures targeting 16 entities and seven individuals were in response to a North Korean nuclear test in September, as well as Pyongyang’s ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction and continued violations of UN Security Council resolutions. Earlier this week, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a sanctions resolution, though The Wall Street Journal reported the new measures likely won’t deter North Korea from its nuclear-weapon ambitions. “These sanctions aim to cut the flow of financial resources to North Korea and further counter the regime’s destabilizing and provocative behavior,” said Adam J. Szubin, acting undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Among the companies targeted by the US Friday was Air Koryo, the national flag airline for North Korea that Treasury said owns and operates all civilian aircraft registered in the country. For years, it was rated as the world’s worst airline. <br/>