The Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. / AP-Yonhap

The U.S. Department of Treasury on Thursday designated three North Korean officials who are members of the ruling Workers' Party over the country's illegal weapons development program.

The move comes about two weeks after North Korea conducted its eighth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test of the year on Nov. 18 (Seoul time).

"The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today sanctioned three individuals for being officials of the Workers' Party of Korea," the department said in a press release.

"These individuals have provided support to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles," it added, referring to North Korea by its official name.

The department said the three North Korean officials are Jon Il-ho, Yu Jin and Kim Su-gil, and that they "directly led DPRK organizations that are linked to the development of WMDs."

The three had already been designated by the European Union in April, it noted.

"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 was quoted as saying.

The U.S. designation of North Korean officials comes after the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) failed earlier this month to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea, let alone condemn the country's missile launches that were in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The UNSC has held 10 special meetings this year to discuss North Korea's missile and other military provocations, but failed to produce any outcome due to opposition from China and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council and friendly neighbors of North Korea. (Yonhap)