SEOUL: Australia has imposed sanctions on a North Korean trading company linked to the "secretive" nation's development of weapons of mass destruction, as well as Chinese and Russian companies accused of assisting Pyongyang in evading international sanctions,  a recent government document read.

According to a March 1 document from Foreign Minister Marise Payne, the Pyongyang-based Puhung Trading Corp. has been added to Australia's list of entities subject to financial sanctions, which restrict the use of their assets.

"The Minister made the designations after concluding that one of the entities (Puhung Trading Corporation) has been associated with the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction programme or missiles programme," a separate ministry statement said, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

It also stated that Dandong Rich Earth Trading Company Limited, based in China, and Profinet Pte Ltd, based in Russia, have been sanctioned for assisting or having assisted North Korea in violating or evading international sanctions. Sanctions were levied against Dandong Rich Earth Trading and Profinet in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

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