EU sanctions two high-ranking North Korean officials for 'Russian military aid'

The European Union has sanctioned two more senior North Korean officials related to Russian military aid.

The EU announced today (16th) that the 15th sanctions against Russia, including 54 individuals, including two North Korean officials, and 30 institutions and corporations, were adopted at the EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

The sanctions also included Chinese companies that supplied drone parts to Russia for the first time.

It also included ships equivalent to a so-called "shadow fleet" that bypassed the price cap for Russian crude oil in the West, and 52 ships from third countries involved in transporting military equipment to Russia or grain seized from Ukraine.

Detailed lists, including the sanctions list, will be released as soon as they are published in the EU gazette, with two high-ranking North Korean officials believed to have been involved in sending troops to Russia.

In this regard, the EU Observer, an EU-specialized media outlet, reported that Kim Young-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was included in the draft.

In February, the EU previously sanctioned then-North Korean Defense Minister Kang Soon-nam and the North Korean Missile Directorate for their involvement in Russian missile support.