South Korea sanctions North Korea spy chief, seven others for illicit cyber activities, illegal arms trade

News Snapshot:

Following Pyongyang’s recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korea sanctioned the director of North Korea’s intelligence service for unlawful cyber actions, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. Pyongyang is already sanctioned internationally for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which have advanced rapidly under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The declaration comes only weeks after Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington established new three-way initiatives aimed at combating North Korea’s cybercrime, cryptocurrency, and money laundering operations, which are thought to fuel the country’s nuclear and missile programmes. Ri Chang Ho, the chief of Pyongyang’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, has been sanctioned...