US Issues First International Wanted Notice for North Korea Sanctions Violator... Reward Up to 7.1 Billion Won

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The U.S. Department of State has offered a reward of up to $5 million (approximately 7.135 billion KRW) for information leading to the capture of Kwek Kee Seng, a Singaporean national who violated United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and U.S. sanctions against North Korea, and has issued an international wanted notice.

According to the State Department on the 3rd (local time), Kwek Kee Seng, a director of Swanseas Port Services, a Singapore-based shipping agency and terminal operator, violated U.S. and international sanctions and U.S. laws by supporting and directing illegal oil shipments to North Korea and 'ship-to-ship' transfers involving North Korean vessels. He was confirmed to have used shell companies in Panama and other locations to pay for oil costs, vessel-related expenses, and crew salaries through U.S. banks.

The State Department, which operates the Reward for Justice program for reporting terrorism-related information, has announced a reward policy for providing information on specific individuals related to North Korea sanctions for the first time.

At a related briefing that day, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Security Gonzalez Suarez stated, "Kwek Kee Seng is involved in extensive criminal activities to evade U.S. and UN sanctions," adding, "In particular, his shipping company directly transported at least $1.5 million worth of oil to North Korea in 2019, among other instances."

Earlier, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an arrest warrant for Kwek Kee Seng in April 2021 on charges including violations of North Korea sanctions and money laundering, and the Treasury Department added Kwek and his company to the North Korea sanctions list last month.

Since 1984, the U.S. Department of State has provided over $250 million (356.7 billion KRW) to more than 125 individuals through the Reward for Justice program for information leading to counterterrorism, capture of terrorist leaders, and elimination of threats to U.S. security. The State Department also paid $5 million each to two individuals who helped block North Korea’s illegal financial crime schemes violating UN and U.S. sanctions through this program.

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