U.S. sanctions N. Korean missile experts; Russia offers to mediate
2017-12-27 09:49:01 source：Asahi Shimbun
December 27, 2017
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW--The United States announced sanctions on two North Korean officials behind their country's ballistic missile program on Tuesday, while Russia reiterated an offer to mediate to ease tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
The new U.S. steps were the latest in a campaign aimed at forcing North Korea--which has defied years of multilateral and bilateral sanctions--to abandon a weapons program aimed at developing nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States.
The U.S. Treasury named the officials as Kim Jong Sik and Ri Pyong Chol. It said Kim was reportedly a key figure in North Korea's efforts to switch its missile program from liquid to solid fuel, while Ri was reported to be a key official in its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development.
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