The United States has blacklisted a network accused of aiding financial payments between Russia and North Korea, two isolated countries that have grown financially and militarily closer amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a network of five groups and one person, based in Russia and the Georgian region of South Ossetia, for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea, the Treasury Department said.

The U.S. State and Treasury departments announced new sanctions Thursday on five groups and one person said to be involved in illicit payment mechanisms between Russia and North Korea. In a statement issued by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control,

South Korea is confident it can overcome any obstacles to a multi-billion dollar project to build a nuclear plant in the Czech Republic, despite appeals against the deal launched by EDF and Westinghouse,

President Yoon Suk Yeol held out the prospect of forging a "nuclear energy alliance" with the Czech Republic Thursday, pledging to ensure wide-ranging cooperation with Prague over the design and construction of nuclear reactors if a Korean consortium wins the country's power plant

During his trip, President Yoon Suk Yeol visits the Czech Republic to strengthen nuclear cooperation and finalize reactor contracts.