Administration Issues Advisory on North Korea Ballistic Missile Procurement

Industry members should be aware of the “key North Korean procurement entities and deceptive techniques employed in the operation and support of the regime’s ballistic missile program,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department Bureau of International Security said in a guidance document. The procurement activities “expose the electronics, chemical, metals, and materials industries as well as the financial, transportation, and logistics sectors to the risk of possibly violating United Nations (UN) and U.S. sanctions, as well as the imposition of sanctions and penalties under various U.S. legal authorities,” they said.

The advisory includes a 10-page annex that lists “key items, including materials and equipment, used in the North Korean ballistic missile program,” it said. A State Department spokesman said: “We urge the private sector to remain vigilant to efforts by North Korea to acquire missile-related technologies and equipment, including the specific items identified in this advisory, and to be aware of the sanctions risks under U.S. and UN authorities for assisting, even inadvertently, North Korea’s ballistic missile-related procurement.”