Chinese man arrested in US on suspicions of arms shipments to North Korea

A Chinese man illegally residing in the U.S. was arrested for allegedly shipping weapons to North Korea from the U.S., the Justice Department said in a statement on Dec. 3.

"Shenghua Wen, 41, of Ontario, California, was arrested today on a criminal complaint alleging that he exported shipments of firearms, ammunition, and other military items to North Korea that were concealed inside shipping containers bound from Long Beach," the statement read.

According to the charges, Wen, a student who overstayed his visa, sent concealed firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology in shipments bound from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea, violating sanctions on the country.

Law enforcement found 50,000 rounds of 9 mm ammunition in his flat, and he faces up to 20 years of prison if found to be guilty.

A Russian military delegation, led by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, arrived in North Korea on Nov. 29, raising international concerns over deepening ties between the two nations, particularly following North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia last month.

Following the visit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that his country would "invariably support" Russia’s war in Ukraine during a meeting with Russia’s defense chief.

North Korea has been shipping shells, missiles, and soldiers to Russia in exchange for what seems to be oil products and advanced rocket technology.

North Korea’s current arms sales to Russia estimated at up to $5.5 billion, Friedrich Naumann Foundation suggests

Because North Korea and Russia do not publish official statistics on the country’s bilateral trade, there is uncertainty. But even the minimum estimate of shipments is over $1.7 billion, the study reads.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova