Maleseo FBI-e Indojin Buk Muncheolmyeong, Mi Beobwon Chuldu... "Bukhan Gukmin Jung Cheot Chuldu"

"150 Million Dollar Money Laundering Involvement... Violation of North Korea Sanctions"
FBI "Criminals Can Exert Influence Wherever They Are"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Moon Cheol-myeong (55), a North Korean who was extradited from Malaysia to the United States on charges of illegal money laundering, appeared in a Washington DC court for the first time as a North Korean. While emphasizing that this is the first case in which U.S. judicial authorities have not only extradited a North Korean national but also proceeded with prosecution within the country, attention is focused on North Korea's future response after declaring severance of diplomatic ties with Malaysia.

On the 22nd (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice stated in a press release that Moon Cheol-myeong, who was extradited from Malaysia on money laundering charges, appeared in a Washington DC court that day. The DOJ emphasized, "After two years of legal procedures, we received custody of Moon, who is the first North Korean national extradited to the United States." The DOJ stated that Moon is charged with involvement in laundering approximately $1.5 million (about 1.7 billion KRW) from April 2013 to November 2018 by unlawfully accessing the U.S. financial system together with accomplices.

Furthermore, it explained that Moon is linked to North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is subject to sanctions by the U.S. and the United Nations, and that the money laundering was part of a plan to procure luxury goods for North Korea. It also described the method used by Moon and his accomplices, who manipulated transactions using accounts and companies under aliases to avoid detection and make it appear unrelated to North Korea.

According to the DOJ, Moon, who faces six charges related to money laundering, was arrested by Malaysian authorities on May 14, 2019, and had been detained in a third country. The indictment in the Washington DC federal court was filed earlier, on May 2, 2019. The third country has not been specified.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Moon, who appeared in court that day, underwent a brief hearing and requested the appointment of a federal public defender. WSJ reported that he is expected to be formally charged within a few weeks and could face about 20 years in prison.

North Korean authorities have not yet issued an official statement. Previously, on the 19th, North Korea released a statement declaring the severance of diplomatic ties with Malaysia, accusing Malaysian authorities of committing a crime by labeling innocent North Korean residents as criminals and extraditing them to the U.S., and warned that the U.S. would also pay a price.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.