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North Korean missile at a military parade in Pyongyang (archive image)
Photo: DAMIR SAGOLJ / REUTERS
"This man's actions violated United Nations sanctions": The Australian Federal Police have shown relief at the verdict against a man who tried to trade in arms from North Korea. As reported by the Reuters news agency, the 62-year-old Chan Han Choi from Sydney was sentenced to three years and six months in prison last week. However, the punishment was settled with his pre-trial detention - Choi was released.
According to Reuters, Choi had already been charged on several counts in 2017 and has been in custody ever since. Among other things, he is said to have tried to negotiate arms deals between the internationally isolated North Korean regime and Indonesia. The defendant - a native of South Korea who has lived in Australia for decades - initially denied the allegations, but then confessed in February. Accordingly, he had acted as a broker for North Korean weapons, in return, petroleum products should be imported to North Korea. He is also said to have tried to export North Korean coal.
North Korea with dictator Kim Jong Un is subject to numerous international sanctions, which virtually cut the country off from the international market.
The representative of the Australian Federal Police announced that the convict had to go to great lengths to be able to carry out the "illegal actions".
The responsible judge Christine Adamson justified the judgment with the fact that people who tried to evade the sanctions, "undermine the international pressure".
However, Choi's actions were limited to a few transactions that ultimately did not progress.
According to court documents, the defendant wanted to help the people in North Korea because they were unfairly affected by international sanctions.
In addition, he wanted to earn money through his role as an intermediary.
fek / Reuters
