South Korea imposed unilateral sanctions on 18 North Korean citizens, barring any financial transactions between those sanctioned and any South Koreans, Reuters reported. 

All 18 individuals on which the South Korean sanctions were imposed were directly affiliated to North Korean banks.

“They are all people at North Korean financial institutions that have already been sanctioned by the United Nations,” a government official directly involved in the sanction development process said.

“They’re high-ranking employees who have been linked to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development program as well as the North’s foreign exchange procurement efforts.”

The announcement came a day ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea as part of his 12-day Asia tour, where he is expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and missile program at length with government officials here.