South Korea imposed independent sanctions Wednesday on eight North Korean individuals, including the chief of the North's spy agency, for their involvement in arms trade and cyber activities banned under international sanctions, Report informs, citing Yonhap.

The latest imposition of sanctions came in response to the North's test-firing of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on December 18 in violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the foreign ministry said.

Ri Chang-ho, the head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, was added to the list for leading the intelligence agency known to be behind North Korea's major cyberattacks, led by such hacking groups as Kimsuky, Lazarus, and Andariel.

These hacking groups have engaged in illegal cyber activities to earn hard currency and steal technologies, the ministry said.

"We have made it clear that North Korea's provocations will come with a price," the ministry said. "We will continue to work closely with the international community, including the United States and Japan, to help North Korea realize this, stop provocations, and reengage in the denuclearization talks."