US slaps sanctions on individual related to DPRK

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The US Treasury announced on Monday it has imposed sanctions on a South African national for allegedly helping Pyongyang "evade US sanctions."

In a statement, the Treasury said Vladlen Amtchentsev, a Russian-born South African national, has advised Velmur Management Pte. Ltd., an already blacklisted company by the United States, on "how to evade US sanctions."

Washington blacklisted Velmur in August 2017, accusing it of working "to purchase fuel oil and gasoil for North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea)."

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Pyongyang "depends upon the help of criminals and illicit actors to raise and transfer funds."

The Treasury's new move was the latest in a series of sanctions imposed by the US on entities and individuals it says are helping the DPRK circumvent Washington's punitive measures amid ongoing talks between the two sides on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Pyongyang has repeatedly criticized the continued sanctions imposed by Washington, calling them actions of "deepening our mistrust."

Also on Monday, the US State Department announced that the US's special envoy to the DPRK will meet visiting officials from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Tuesday to discuss denuclearization and ties.

Stephen Biegun, US special representative for the DPRK issue, will hold talks with Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs to talk about ongoing diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of the Peninsula, UN sanctions on Pyongyang and inter-Korean cooperation, said the department.

On Friday, Pyongyang said it was deporting a US citizen detained for illegally entering the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On the same day, the state news agency also reported that the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visited the testing ground of the Academy of Defense Science and supervised the test of a newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon.

In other developments related to US sanctions, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday Tehran will continue to export oil despite sanctions by the administration of Donald Trump.

In a televised speech in the city of Khoy, Rouhani said Washington lacked the necessary international support for its sanctions, and noted that Iranian authorities had granted temporary waivers to eight major buyers of Iranian oil.

(With inputs from agencies)

Source(s): Reuters