“Treasury is taking action in close trilateral coordination with the Republic of Korea and Japan against officials who have had leading roles in the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a news release, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “the European Union (EU) designated all three earlier this year, noting that Jon and Yu both have played a role in the DPRK’s WMD programs and have participated in multiple ballistic missile launches, while Kim has been responsible for the implementation of WPK decisions related to the development of the DPRK’s unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”“These steps also underscore our sustained resolve to promote accountability in response to Pyongyang’s pace, scale, and scope of ballistic missile launches,” Blinken said.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Saturday that his country aims to have “the world’s most powerful” nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military personnel involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday, “We know that North Korea has said that they will likely conduct a nuclear test again, that would be very destabilizing.”“And I think you’ve seen the United States as well as other countries in the region to include the Republic of Korea and Japan highlight the fact that there would be consequences for that.The official declined to go into further specifics, citing the sensitivity of the communications, but said what Pyongyang has done and said “makes clear that they are not interested in diplomacy.”The administration is “very confident” that the messages are making it to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “for a number of reasons, not least of which is that they’re making public reference to why they’re refusing to talk to us,” the official said."