A Chinese national living illegally in California has been charged with shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea and told investigators they were to be used for a surprise attack on South Korea, authorities said on Tuesday.
Shenghua Wen came to the US from China on a student visa more than a decade ago after meeting with North Korean officials who instructed him to procure goods for the North Korean government, according to the US Attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
Wen, 41, was arrested at his home in Ontario, California, without incident on Tuesday and charged with conspiring to violate federal law barring the shipments.
He also told investigators that he tried to buy uniforms to disguise North Korean soldiers for the surprise attack, a federal complaint said.
Wen is expected to appear in court later on Tuesday. His federal public defender, Michael Brown, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“It is essential that we protect our country from hostile foreign states that have adverse interests to our nation,” Martin Estrada, US Attorney in Los Angeles, said in a statement.
