“Treasury is sanctioning senior North Korean officials who direct departments that perpetrate the regime’s brutal state-sponsored censorship activities, human rights violations and abuses, and other abuses in order to suppress and control the population,” Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin, said.

The Treasury’s OFAC designated, Choe Ryong Hae, who is an official of the WPK , is reportedly seen as the “Number Two” official with control over the party, government, and military. OFAC also designated Pak Kwang Ho for being an official of the WPK.

In total, since January 2017, the US Department of The Treasury has taken action against over 500 individuals and entities engaged in activities related to, or directly involving, human rights abuse, including actions which happened today under the North Korea program, and programs such as Global Magnitsky, Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, and other sanctions programs.