The U.S., South Korea and Japan have slapped new sanctions on North Korean officials and companies, the allies' latest bid to pressure Pyongyang to abandon its weapons programs amid deadlock at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).

According to a Treasury press release Thursday, the U.S. has blacklisted Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin and Kim Su Gil, three members of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) who allegedly played “major roles” in advancing the country’s weapons of mass destruction programs.