The United States has imposed new sanctions targeting a North Korean procurement network linked to the country’s unlawful ballistic missile program. These measures focus on the Second Academy of Natural Sciences Foreign Affairs Bureau (SANS FAB) and two key individuals involved in acquiring materials for missile development.
SANS FAB operates as a procurement arm for North Korea’s defense research, collaborating with the Munitions Industry Department (MID). Representatives of SANS FAB based in China and Russia, along with their North Korean counterparts, have been actively involved in obtaining supplies critical for missile production, in direct violation of international sanctions.
Under Executive Order 13382, which aims to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), SANS FAB has been sanctioned for facilitating the development, transport, and acquisition of ballistic missile components for North Korea.
Two North Korean nationals, Rim Ryong Nam and his wife, Kim Yon Hui, are also sanctioned for their involvement in procuring materials such as aluminum powder — a key ingredient in rocket propellants. Since 2018, they have repeatedly engaged in efforts to secure and transport this material from China to North Korea for missile manufacturing.
Kim Yon Hui, since 2020, has managed procurement operations on behalf of her husband, coordinating shipments of aluminum powder for the MID. Both individuals have maintained ties with entities in North Korea and China to sustain these procurement efforts.
These sanctions highlight ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt North Korea’s ballistic missile program and prevent the proliferation of WMDs.