U.S. Ends Sanctions on South Korean Company Accused of Illegal Syria Trade Early

The United States has ended sanctions against South Korean company JS Research, which it accused of illegally trading with Syria in weapons of mass destruction and missile-development technology or equipment.

The State Department announced the decision in a notice published on July 4. The sanctions had initially been set to remain in force for two years, but the United States terminated them after about seven months. The notice did not give a reason for the early decision.

JS Research, a manufacturer of laboratory equipment for the biotechnology and medical sectors, was placed under sanctions in January for alleged violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act. The sanctions list also included North Korean national Choe Chol-min, the Foreign Affairs Bureau of North Korea’s Second Academy of Natural Sciences, and companies from China, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

The law allows the United States to sanction companies and individuals involved in transactions with those countries involving goods or technology linked to weapons of mass destruction. Sanctioned parties are barred from supplying goods or services to U.S. government agencies, while new export licenses can be denied and existing licenses suspended.