WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Treasury on Wednesday issued new sanctions on entities and individuals, allegedly related to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Treasury said in a statement that it slapped sanctions on nine entities, 16 individuals and six vessels in response to the DPRK's alleged "ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and continued violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)."

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula were kept intense over the past year, as the crisis has been worsened by the exchange of personal insults and confrontational rhetoric between the leaders of the United States and the DPRK.

The U.S. administration, under President Donald Trump, has been sticking to a strategy of "maximum pressure" on the DPRK to force it to abandon its weapons programs, but so far has failed to achieve its goals.

As a result of the Treasury's action, any property or interests of the designated persons in the United States will be blocked and transactions by Americans involving these persons are generally prohibited.