US imposes sanctions on Russian bank over North Korea dealings

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a Russian bank it said had facilitated a transaction with a person blacklisted by Washington for involvement with North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

The move comes as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to press Southeast Asian countries during meetings in Singapore on Saturday to maintain sanctions against Pyongyang, which is in talks with the United States about dismantling its nuclear program. 

The U.S. Treasury Department said Moscow-based Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank had conducted "a significant transaction" for Han Jang Su, the Moscow-based chief representative of Foreign Trade Bank, North Korea's primary foreign exchange bank. 

"The United States will continue to enforce UN and U.S. sanctions and shut down illicit revenue streams to North Korea," U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.