””””LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- A South Korean immigrant living in Los
Angeles has been charged with spying for the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK), court documents released Wednesday said.
””””John Joungwoong Yai, 59, was arrested Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) at his Santa Monica home in western Los Angeles. A criminal
complaint unsealed Wednesday in United States District Court in Los Angeles
alleged that Yai was paid to work for the DPRK government.
””””Yai, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, was arrested on
charges of failing to register as a North Korean agentas required by US law. If
convicted, he will face a maximum 20-year sentence in federal prison.
””””In the 76-page affidavit, FBI agent James G. Chang said that between
December 1997 and April 2000, Yai was working as a North Korean agent living in
the United States. The charges claimed thathe was paid to identify and recruit
other agents to meet with North Korean officials abroad.
””””Chang wrote that Yai was the subject of surveillance under the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act from December 1996 to June 2000. During this
period, investigators bugged Yai's downtown Los Angeles office and allegedly
intercepted faxes, e-mails and telephone calls between Yai and his DPRK
handlers. The communications were often filled with code words, the FBI said.
””””In April 2000, Yai and his wife, Susan Youngja Yai, traveled tothe Czech
Republic and Vienna of Austria to meet with a DPRK representative, authorities
said.
””””Upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport from Zurich, Switzerland
on April 20, 2000, Yai and his wife declared to US Customs officials they were
not carrying more than 10,000 US dollars in US currency.
””””"In fact, a search revealed that they were carrying 18,179 dollars," the
FBI said in court papers. The ongoing investigation was to determine whether
Yai's actions posed any threat to national security, said Cheryl Mimuma, a
spokeswoman for the FBI in Los Angeles.
””””Yai is expected to make an initial appearance in the court lateWednesday
while his wife will receive a summons to appear in federal court at a later
date. Enditem
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