24 June
Singapore jailed a North Korean man on Tuesday for helping supply luxury goods to department stores in his homeland in violation of sanctions, the latest case of illicit trade between the countries.
There have been several cases in recent years of companies and individuals in the city-state supplying goods to the North, which has been hit with a barrage of UN sanctions over its weapons programmes.
After completing his studies in Singapore in 2014, Li Hyon helped his father in North Korea source products in the city for his chain of department stores, according to court documents.
The 31-year-old helped procure over Sg$400,000 (US$290,000) of luxury goods including perfumes, cosmetics, watches, wines and spirits over more than two years, and also carried items to the North.
"There was appreciable harm to Singapore's international reputation and standing, and increased risk for the broader Singapore financial and economic sectors, as a result of the breaches," prosecutors said.
Li was jailed for four weeks after pleading guilty to charges of abetting the supply of prohibited goods to the North.
The director of one Singapore company involved in the scheme was jailed for nearly three years in November.
The United Nations Security Council has adopted sanctions in response to the North's ballistic missile and nuclear tests, while Singapore has introduced laws to enforce them and in 2017 suspended trade ties with the North.
In August, a Singaporean firm was accused of supplying wine and spirits worth about Sg$665,000 to the North.
In 2016 a shipping firm in the city was fined for its role in an attempt to smuggle Soviet-era weapons and fighter jets from Cuba to the North.
AFP
