U.S., allies reaffirm North Korea denuclearization, back new sanctions

Treasury targets 10 individuals, one entity over IT worker fraud

A joint statement released Wednesday reaffirmed international commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization and backed sanctions imposed this month on Pyongyang’s overseas workers, cyber activities and military cooperation with Russia. The statement was issued by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Britain and the European Union.

The statement highlighted measures imposed this month by Washington, Australia and the European Union to disrupt revenue streams supporting North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. “Their actions represent their efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s ability to support its unlawful development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles, and to counter unlawful DPRK-Russia military cooperation,” the statement said. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is North Korea’s official name.

The participants called for North Korea’s “complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization” and urged all U.N. members, particularly permanent Security Council members, to fully implement sanctions resolutions.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals and one entity accused of facilitating government-run information technology worker schemes that defraud American businesses and finance Pyongyang’s weapons programs. The department said North Korean operatives use stolen identities and fabricated credentials to secure jobs with legitimate companies, with the government taking most of their wages.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the operatives “weaponize sensitive data and extort businesses for substantial payments.” The targets included Russian financial intermediaries and a North Korean-controlled technology center in Russia that Treasury said had generated millions of dollars for Pyongyang.

The European Union on Oct. 12 sanctioned three individuals and four entities over activities including North Korean worker deployments to Russia and an “arms-for-oil” trade. Australia imposed financial sanctions on two individuals and two entities, along with travel bans on the individuals, on Oct. 23.

The joint statement said the measures build on findings by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, whose reports have examined North Korea’s military ties with Russia, IT worker fraud and overseas labor operations. The 11-country group was established in 2024 after Russia vetoed renewal of the mandate of a United Nations expert panel monitoring sanctions enforcement.

The team’s latest report, released in September, estimated that North Korea’s overseas labor program generated $450 million to $800 million in 2025, despite a United Nations deadline requiring workers’ repatriation by the end of 2019. An estimated 35,600 to 101,280 North Koreans work across at least 17 countries, the report said. Most are in China, while Russia has become a growing hub, including for workers manufacturing military drones.