""North Korea's efforts to build and sell weapons of mass destruction depend on a vast network, the reach of which extends beyond Asia," said Stuart Levey, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

The department alleged that Kohas AG has financial ties to a North Korean company, Korea Ryonbong General Corp., that the U.S. government believes has engaged in transactions to spread weapons of mass destruction. The government ordered that company's assets frozen last year.

Nearly half of Kohas AG's shares are owned by a subsidiary of Korea Ryonbong General -- called Korea Ryongwang Trading Corp., Treasury said. That company also was put on the government's blocking list last year.

Steiger owns the remaining shares of Kohas AG, Treasury said.

"Kohas AG acts as a technology broker in Europe for the North Korean military and has procured goods with weapons-related applications," Treasury said in a release. "Kohas AG and Jakob Steiger have been involved in activities of proliferation concern on behalf of North Korea since the company's founding in the late 1980s.""

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/03/30/us_targets_swiss_firm_for_n_korea_ties/