President Obama has signed an executive order issuing sanctions against North Korean businesses and entities in the wake of the Sony Pictures hack.
The sanctions, which were announced on the Department of Treasury's website Friday, are the first part of what the government has said will be a "proportional" response to the recent cyber attack against Sony and threats of violence against American movie theaters, which US officials say was supported by the North Korean government. The sanctions will impact three North Korean businesses and government agencies, as well as 10 government officials, who will be prohibited from dealing with the U.S. financial system.
Importantly, these 10 individuals are not accused of playing any role in the hacking of Sony, though they are said to have been involved in anti-American activities in the past.
"This step reflects the ongoing commitment of the United States to hold North Korea accountable for its destabilizing, destructive and repressive actions, particularly its efforts to undermine U.S. cyber-security and intimidate U.S. businesses and artists exercising their right of freedom of speech," the announcement reads.
It's clear that this is in many ways a symbolic move. North Korea is a country already saddled with sanctions, so these new measures are less potent than they would be in another country with friendlier diplomatic relations with the United States. The sanctions announced Friday affect a North Korean arms dealer, an intelligence agency, and a defense research contractor.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that U.S. officials have cited evidence that North Korea is behind the Sony hack, some cyber security experts remain unconvinced, as the attack against Sony didn't resemble past cyber attacks by nation states.
For now, however, the U.S. is doubling down on its insistence that North Korea is the culprit. According to Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew, the goal of the sanctions is to "further isolate key North Korean entities and disrupt the activities of close to a dozen critical North Korean operatives."
"We will continue to use this broad and powerful tool to expose the activities of North Korean government officials and entities," he said in a statement.
Whether further isolating an already isolated country is just punishment, however, remains to be seen.
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In its announcement, the U.S. Treasury describes the three organizations and 10 individuals sanctioned:
· Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB): RGB is North Korea’s primary intelligence organization and is involved, inter alia, in a range of activities to include conventional arms trade proscribed by numerous United Nations Security Council Resolutions. RGB was previously listed in the annex to E.O. 13551 on August 30, 2010. RGB is responsible for collecting strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence for the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces. Many of North Korea’s major cyber operations run through RGB.
· Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID): KOMID is North Korea’s primary arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. KOMID, a North Korean state-owned entity, was previously listed in the annex to E.O. 13382 on July 1, 2005 for its role in North Korea’s proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It was also sanctioned by the United Nations in April 2009. KOMID has offices in multiple countries around the world and facilitates weapons sales for the North Korean government.
· Korea Tangun Trading Corporation is subordinate to the Second Academy of Natural Sciences and is primarily responsible for the procurement of commodities and technologies to support North Korea's defense research and development programs, including materials that are controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) or the Australia Group. Tangun Trading Corporation was designated by the Department of State pursuant to E.O. 13382 in September 2009 and was designated by the United Nations in 2009. The identifier information for this designated entity is also being updated to include several aliases it uses to operate internationally. The new aliases for Korea Tangun Trading Corporation include Ryung Seng Trading Corporation, Ryungseng Trading Corporation, and Ryungsong Trading Corporation.
The following 10 individuals are designated under the E.O. signed by the President today for their status as officials of the North Korean government:
· Kil Jong Hun and Kim Kwang Yon are officials of the North Korean government and represent the southern African interests of KOMID. Kil Jong Hun is KOMID’s Representative in Namibia and an official of the North Korean government.
· Jang Song Chol is a KOMID representative in Russia and an official of the North Korean government. He is working with individuals in Sudan who are procuring materials from him.
· Yu Kwang Ho is an official of the North Korean government.
· Kim Yong Chol is a KOMID Representative in Iran and an official of the North Korean Government.
· Jang Yong Son is a KOMID Representative in Iran and an official of the North Korean government.
· Kim Kyu is the KOMID External Affairs Officer and an official of the North Korean government.
· Ryu Jin and Kang Ryong are KOMID officials operating in Syria and are officials of the North Korean government.
· Kim Kwang Chun is a Korea Tangun Trading Corporation representative in Shenyang, China and an official of the North Korean government.
