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South Korean company named to U.S. sanctions list for first time in 18 years, reasons not disclosed

Published: 28 Jan. 2026, 15:35 Updated: 28 Jan. 2026, 17:57

The U.S. State Department is seen in Washington in this file photo [YONHAP]

The U.S. government placed sanctions on six entities — including a South Korean company — for allegedly making illegal arms-related deals with countries such as North Korea, Iran and Syria.

This is the first time in 18 years that a South Korean company has been included on such a list. However, the United States did not disclose the specific reasons for sanctioning the company.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions against JS Research, a South Korean company, along with North Korean national Choe Chol-min, the Second Academy of Natural Science Foreign Affairs Bureau (SANS FAB), China’s Futech, Lebanon’s Exptrans GMBH S.A.R.L, and the UAE-based International Biotechnology Services FZC.

The sanctions, imposed under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA), took effect last Thursday and will remain in place for two years, according to the register.

Under INKSNA, sanctions are imposed on those who contribute — through goods, services or technology — to the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or ballistic and cruise missile systems in Iran, North Korea or Syria. The act goes beyond traditional export controls and targets suspected support for proliferation efforts.

Core measures include blocking transactions with U.S. government agencies and barring participation in U.S. government assistance programs.

The U.S. State Department in Washington is seen in this file photo [YONHAP]

Sanctioned entities are also restricted from transactions involving U.S. Munitions List items and exports regulated under the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Although full asset freezes are not imposed, the sanctions can be significantly limiting in practice.

Notably, the United States has not specified the grounds for the sanctions. It has not disclosed whether the parties involved were directly trading with North Korea, Iran or Syria; what items were involved; or whether the transactions were direct exports or routed through third countries.

The South Korean company may have been involved in the manufacturing of laboratory equipment used in transactions of concern under INKSNA.

A notice on the U.S. Federal Register announcing a new set of sanctions under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA) [SCREEN CAPTURE]

While such equipment often resembles civilian-use devices, it may be classified as dual-use under international export control regimes due to its potential applications in WMD development.

A South Korean company was last sanctioned under INKSNA in October 2008. As with the current case, specific reasons for that designation were not made public.

Among the other individuals listed, North Korean national Choe had already been designated in June 2023 by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for procuring materials for North Korea’s ballistic missile production.

Choe has also reportedly been involved in weapons dealings in Beijing, including supplying electronic components to Iran.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG [[email protected]]