Referred Without Detention: IT Company CEO Promoting North Korean Restaurant Recruited by North Korean Operative in Southeast Asia

An IT company CEO who was recruited by a North Korean agent while frequenting North Korean restaurants in Southeast Asia and supported the operation of the restaurants by posting promotional articles online has been handed over to the prosecution.

On the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Security Investigation Division announced that Mr. A (52) was sent to prosecution without detention on charges of violating the National Security Act, the Narcotics Control Act, and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Mr. A buying flowers to take to a North Korean restaurant on the anniversary of the founding of the Chosun Labor Party.
[Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

On the 18th, the Security Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that Mr. A (52) was sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the National Security Act, Narcotics Control Act, and Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

According to the police, Mr. A, the CEO of a company that supplies and maintains IT programs for government and public institutions, is suspected of supporting the operation of the North Korean restaurant "Cheongryugwan" located in Myanmar and Laos by frequenting the restaurant for seven years from 2016 to recently.

Police investigations revealed that Mr. A visited the restaurant almost every month and established a direct contact network with the restaurant's vice president, who belongs to the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau, agreeing to provide various conveniences and post promotional articles about the North Korean restaurant. The police confirmed that Mr. A communicated with the vice president about security instructions such as deleting chat records and changing titles, matters related to so-called "loyalty funds"?foreign currency earned at the North Korean restaurant sent to the home country?and IT directives related to Southeast Asian countries.

Mr. A was also investigated to have provided various economic conveniences worth a total of 20.7 million KRW, including $4,800 (approximately 6.5 million KRW), performance supplies, clothing, skincare products, food ingredients, masks, and pharmaceuticals necessary for operating the North Korean restaurant. Some of the dollars were sent to North Korea. The police view Mr. A as having provided comprehensive support at the level of an economic community, to the extent that he referred to himself as the "small boss" of the North Korean restaurant. Among the provided items were professional pharmaceuticals and psychotropic drugs. The police also sent Mr. B (49), an acquaintance who supplied drugs to Mr. A, to the prosecution without detention.

The police secured footage of Mr. A entering the restaurant with a bouquet on October 10, the founding day of the Workers' Party of Korea, and staying at the restaurant at the same time as a vehicle belonging to the North Korean embassy. Domestically, he also attempted contact with North Korean defectors by approaching major defector organizations. Mr. A reportedly denied the charges, stating, "I admit the objective facts such as frequenting the North Korean restaurant, communication, and provision of goods, but it was due to a romantic relationship with a female employee of the restaurant."

A police official said, "Overseas North Korean restaurants are not only a source of foreign currency for North Korea but also bases for intelligence agencies," adding, "We will actively conduct counterintelligence activities to prevent similar cases."

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