The United States has announced sanctions on two entities facilitating the exportation of workers from North Korea.

The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that the action targets a North Korean trading corporation and a China-based North Korean lodging facility that facilitate North Korea's practice of sending laborers abroad.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, "The exportation of North Korean workers raises illicit revenue for the government of North Korea in violation of UN sanctions."

United Nations member countries were obliged to expel North Korean workers by December 22, 2019, under a Security Council resolution.

But China and Russia have been refusing to deport the workers. They say the deportations would have a serious impact on the lives of their citizens.

The US action is aimed at demonstrating its commitment to the implementation of the UN sanctions, in the face of the lack of compliance by the two countries.

The US sanctions come shortly after President Donald Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his birthday.

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