US sanctions North Korean couple accused of helping to procure equipment for ballistic missiles

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on a North Korean husband and wife living in China for their alleged involvement in procuring equipment for ballistic missiles that ended up in the hands of North Korean and Iranian customers. The Treasury Department says North Korea uses a network of representatives in foreign countries, including China and Iran, to illegally import restricted materials used to create ballistic missiles and other weapons in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Tensions have risen in past months as the pace of North Korean weapons tests and U.S.-South Korea military exercises has increased.