[A railway-born missile is launched during a drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this photo released Saturday. (File photo by=KCNA / VIA REUTERS)]

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday imposed fresh sanctions on five North Korean entities involved in the North's recent missile tests that included its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in over four years.

The five entities include the North's Ministry of Rocket Industry (MoRI), according to the Department of the Treasury. "Today's action targets a DPRK WMD research and development organization that is directly linked to the development of new ICBMs, along with four of its revenue-generating subsidiaries," the department said in a press release. North Korea launched an apparent ICBM last Thursday, ending its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing that had been in place since November 2017.
The treasury department noted two North Korean missile tests, staged Feb. 27 and March 5 (Seoul time), had also been related to testing a new ICBM system, as earlier identified by the U.S. intelligence community.

The five entities added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's list include four subsidiaries of the North Korean rocket industry ministry. They are Hapjanggang Trading Corporation, Korea Rounsan Trading Corporation, Sungnisan Trading Corporation and Unchon Trading Corporation. "These trading companies have pursued various activities likely aimed at generating revenue for MoRI," said the press release, adding that such activities included establishing joint ventures in North Korea, pursuing large-scale projects with Chinese firms and exporting North Korean labor.