OFAC amends North Korea Sanctions Regulations

Financial Crimes Department of Treasury OFAC Sanctions Of Interest to Non-US Persons North Korea

On April 9, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced amendments to the North Korea Sanctions Regulations. The final rule amends the sanctions regulations to incorporate “Treasury-administered provisions of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 [(NKSPEA)], as amended by the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 [(CAATSA)] and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 [(NDAA)].”

Specifically, OFAC is incorporating into the amended regulations prohibitions with respect to the blocking, correspondent, or payable-through accounts sanctions contained within the NKSPEA, CAATSA, and NDAA. The final rule also adds a new section applicable to individuals and entities that are owned or controlled by a U.S. financial institution and established or maintained outside the U.S., which prohibits them from “knowingly engaging in any transaction, directly or indirectly, with the Government of North Korea or any person designated for the imposition of sanctions with respect to North Korea under NKSPEA. . ., an applicable Executive Order, or an applicable United Nations Security Council resolution.” In addition, the final rule amends the definition of luxury goods by creating “a regulatory exception to exclude items approved for import, export, or reexport to or into North Korea by the United Nations Security Council.” The final rule also incorporates new statutory exemptions, makes technical and conforming edits, revises an interpretive provision, and updates the authorities and delegation sections of the regulations, among other things. The amended North Korea Sanctions Regulations take effect April 10.