President Obama has announced new US sanctions against North Korea in response to the country's alleged cyber attacks against Sony Pictures. The sanctions target three North Korean state businesses and 10 individuals, mostly associated with military exports, which are still a significant source of international revenue for the country. The sanctioned targets are forbidden from doing business with American citizens, companies, or banks.

North Korea has been under severe US and United Nations sanctions for many years, so this addition is largely symbolic, but it's not nothing. American technology, services, and banking institutions are ubiquitous parts of the international economy, and the targeted North Koreans do a lot of business selling North Korean military technology abroad. North Korean weapons are sold to a number of countries, often in Africa or the Middle East, and are a substantial source of hard currency for the deeply impoverished North Korea government.

The sanctioned targets are not thought to be associated with the Sony hack. Rather, they are being sanctioned because the Obama administration believes that they are a good target for punishing the North Korean government more broadly.

Here are the Treasury Department's summaries of the three targeted firms and the 10 individuals.

• Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB): RGB is North Korea's primary intelligence organization and is involved, inter alia, in a range of activities to include conventional arms trade proscribed by numerous United Nations Security Council Resolutions. RGB was previously listed in the annex to [presidential executive order] 13551 on August 30, 2010. RGB is responsible for collecting strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence for the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces. Many of North Korea's major cyber operations run through RGB.

• Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID): KOMID is North Korea's primary arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. KOMID, a North Korean state-owned entity, was previously listed in the annex to [presidential executive order] 13382 on July 1, 2005 for its role in North Korea's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It was also sanctioned by the United Nations in April 2009. KOMID has offices in multiple countries around the world and facilitates weapons sales for the North Korean government.

• Korea Tangun Trading Corporation is subordinate to the Second Academy of Natural Sciences and is primarily responsible for the procurement of commodities and technologies to support North Korea's defense research and development programs, including materials that are controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) or the Australia Group. Tangun Trading Corporation was designated by the Department of State pursuant to [presidential executive order] 13382 in September 2009 and was designated by the United Nations in 2009. The identifier information for this designated entity is also being updated to include several aliases it uses to operate internationally. The new aliases for Korea Tangun Trading Corporation include Ryung Seng Trading Corporation, Ryungseng Trading Corporation, and Ryungsong Trading Corporation.

And here are the 10 North Korean individuals being sanctioned:

• Kil Jong Hun and Kim Kwang Yon are officials of the North Korean government and represent the southern African interests of KOMID. Kil Jong Hun is KOMID's Representative in Namibia and an official of the North Korean government.

• Jang Song Chol is a KOMID representative in Russia and an official of the North Korean government. He is working with individuals in Sudan who are procuring materials from him.

• Yu Kwang Ho is an official of the North Korean government.

• Kim Yong Chol is a KOMID Representative in Iran and an official of the North Korean Government.

• Jang Yong Son is a KOMID Representative in Iran and an official of the North Korean government.

• Kim Kyu is the KOMID External Affairs Officer and an official of the North Korean government.

• Ryu Jin and Kang Ryong are KOMID officials operating in Syria and are officials of the North Korean government.

• Kim Kwang Chun is a Korea Tangun Trading Corporation representative in Shenyang, China and an official of the North Korean government.