When is a North Korean agent not a North Korean agent? Apparently when he’s ‘Cambodian.’
NK News reports that late last month, a Cambodian man was arrested in Hawaii for attempting to export American-made night vision military goggles to China. It’s illegal to export such goggles to any country without State Department permission, let alone to a sanctioned rogue state like North Korea. Only, the miscreant had an odd name for a Cambodian: Kim Song-il. It seems that Cambodia makes it quite easy to obtain citizenship – one only need reside in the country for seven years and speak basic Khmer. Mr. Kim was actually born in North Korea.
NK News continues,
[t]he situation has served as a reminder that North Koreans engaged in illegal activity continue to be able to secure foreign passports. In the past, countries such as the Seychelles and Kiribati have sold passports to North Koreans, who, like Kim Song Il, then used them to register companies in Hong Kong and facilitate arms-related trade.
Maybe selling citizenship isn’t the best idea after all?
