People watch a TV at a train station in Seoul, Jan. 12, showing a news program reporting on a North Korean missile test. AP-Yonhap

The United States said Wednesday that it is designating six North Korean individuals related to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs for sanctions.

The Department of Treasury said it was designating five North Korean individuals ― one based in Russia and four in China ― for illegally procuring materials for the North's WMD and ballistic missile programs.

The Department of State also designated an additional North Korean individual based in Russia for a similar reason.

"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated five Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) individuals responsible for procuring goods for the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile-related programs," the treasury department said in a press release, referring to North Korea by its official name.

"These actions are in line with U.S. efforts to prevent the advancement of the DPRK's WMD and ballistic missile programs and impede attempts by Pyongyang to proliferate related technologies. They also follow the DPRK's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which violated multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions," it added.

North Korea has claimed to have successfully tested a new hypersonic missile in September, a second last Wednesday and a third this week.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the designations highlighted concerns and efforts to prevent proliferation.

"These designations convey our serious and ongoing concern about the DPRK's continued proliferation activities and those who support it," he said in a statement.

"The United States will use every appropriate tool to address the DPRK's WMD and ballistic missile programs, which constitute a serious threat to international peace and security and undermine the global nonproliferation regime," he added.