Japan, the United States and South Korea have imposed additional sanctions on North Korea, such as asset freezes on individuals and organizations, in response to Pyongyang's failed attempt to launch a military satellite last week.
Japan's Cabinet on Friday decided to designate four individuals -- a British man, a Chinese man and two men from North Korea -- and three groups, including North Korean hacking group Andariel, as new asset freeze targets.
South Korea also announced sanctions on a North Korean firm linked to weapons development programs and five individuals. Seoul suspects the five have been involved in raising funds for the North's nuclear and missile activities.
The two countries are security allies with the United States, and the measures imposed are in step with punitive U.S. measures announced on Thursday.
Washington rolled out additional sanctions on two further individuals, a North Korean man and a Russian man, as well as on Intellekt LLC of Russia, alleging that they helped finance North Korean efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
The measures follow Pyongyang's firing of a rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite on Aug. 24, which did not go into orbit due to an error in its emergency blast system. It was the second North Korean military satellite launch to fail following the one in May.
Japan, South Korea and the United States have criticized North Korea's attempted satellite launches as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from activities using ballistic missile technology.
"North Korea continues to act provocatively," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference on Friday when speaking on the country's recent ballistic missile tests and the satellite launch.
"We demand that North Korea take concrete steps toward resolving issues" causing regional instability, including its nuclear program, Hayashi added.
The U.S. Treasury Department has said the new measures are aimed at curtailing efforts to generate revenue for Pyongyang's "unlawful development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles."
The department alleged the North Korean man worked as an executive of a separate Russian company that was owned by the Russian man and made North Korean construction laborers work in Russia.
The North Korean also led a group of information technology workers from his country and helped them obtain documents so they could legally work as freelancers, it alleged.
Intellekt was awarded a contract for a construction project in Moscow which was coordinated by the North Korean man, the department said.
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