Seoul places new sanctions on North Korea over arms buildup

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Friday sanctioned eight people and seven organizations suspected of engaging in illicit activities to finance North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and missile programs. The move was largely symbolic considering the lack of financial exchanges and business activities between the rival Koreas. But the steps Friday may still draw an irritated response from North Korea. In November, the North called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his government a “wild dog gnawing on a bone given by the U.S.” over Seoul’s plans to place unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang. The U.S. Treasury Department also said it sanctioned three members of North Korea’s ruling party who provided support to the country’s weapons development.