The US Treasury Department has issued a list of medical devices needing “specific authorization” for export to North Korea, as per a Federal Register notice. This move is seen as a response to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under the department unveiled the list, which includes items like oxygen generators, pumps with flow rates exceeding one liter per minute, and various diagnostic medical imaging equipment.
The newly listed devices necessitate explicit approval from the OFAC for shipments to North Korea. Among the items are laboratory equipment like freeze-drying and spray-drying equipment, decontamination showers, and carbon dioxide incubators. These stricter licensing requirements aim to limit the export of dual-use items that could serve both civilian and military purposes, especially amid North Korea’s intensified weapons programs.
The US government’s action comes at a time when diplomatic talks between Pyongyang and Washington or Seoul regarding North Korea’s nuclear activities have stalled. Meanwhile, a South Korean official has hinted that a potential meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump during the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in France remains uncertain. Both leaders are expected at the G7 gathering in Evian next week, with Lee attending as an invited partner. The official mentioned that while dialogue could occur under favorable circumstances, arranging a meeting at present is challenging.
