N Korea is under fire

WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department has accused a network of North Korean and Chinese citizens of secretly advancing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program by channelling at least $2.5 billion in illicit payments through hundreds of front companies.

The indictment is believed to be the largest criminal enforcement action ever brought against North Korea. The 33 defendants include executives of North Korea’s state-owned Foreign Trade Bank, which is on a list of sanctioned institutions for transactions that facilitated nuclear proliferation.