The U.S. extends sanctions on Myanmar and North Korea’s aviation sectors

As part of its ongoing campaign to punish North Korea and Myanmar for human rights abuses and violations of regulations established by the United States and the United Nations pertaining to weapons, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden has decided to expand sanctions against the aviation and defence sectors of both countries. The US Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday that it had imposed penalties on two agents for North Korea’s state-owned airline Air Koryo and redesignated a previously sanctioned North Korean cyber agency.

The Treasury Department believes that the North Korean cyber agency launders profits from cryptocurrency heists in order to further Pyongyang’s weapons programmes. Treasury also announced sanctions against the Myanmar aviation company Sky Aviator Company Limited and its owner for facilitating weapons purchases for the country’s military government to crack down on protesters following a coup in February 2021. These purchases were made to crack down on protesters following the coup.

Sanctions were placed on the North Korean operatives Ri Sok, who is located in China and works as a representative for Air Koryo, and Yan Zhihong, who is a manager for the airline’s logistics department, because of their assistance for North Korea’s nuclear weapons & ballistic missile programmes. Sanctions had already been placed on Air Koryo by the United States before allegations surfaced that it was involved in the transportation of crucial military components into North Korea, mostly from China.

The increased sanctions have the effect of placing a hold on any assets that the two men may have in jurisdictions within the United States or assets that may cross into those jurisdictions. It also prevents anyone from the United States from doing any kind of commerce with them. Treasury also reimposed sanctions against Tornado Cash, a cyber company that is suspected of acting as a conduit for processing stolen virtual currency. This includes the processing of stolen virtual currency from the largest known theft of its kind to date, which involved a theft of $455 million and was carried out by a company controlled by North Korea called Lazarus Group.

According to a statement released by the Treasury Department, “today’s sanctions action targets two key nodes of (North Korea’s) weapons programmes: its increasing reliance on illicit activities, including cybercrime, to generate revenue; & its ability to procure & transport goods in support of weapons of mass destruction & ballistic missile programmes.” Regarding Myanmar, which is often referred to as Burma, the Treasury Department said that it was taking action against Sky Aviator and its owner, Kyaw Min Oo, for importing aircraft components, guns, and other materials that were utilised by the government to suppress post-coup dissent.

Treasury stated that the sanctions “target those who profit from the oppressive actions of the regime by operating in the defence sectors of Burma’s economy and by enabling Burma’s military connections to foreign militaries.” The sanctions include the freezing of assets & a ban on American transactions with those named.