U.S. imposes sanctions on North Koreans, Russian, after missile tests

A missile is launched during what state media report is a hypersonic missile test at an undisclosed location in North Korea, January 11, 2022, in this photo released January 12, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday sanctioned six North Koreans, one Russian and an entity it said were responsible for procuring goods for North Korea's weapons programs, a move that follows a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the moves were in line with American efforts to prevent the advancement of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs "and impede attempts by Pyongyang to proliferate related technologies."