Australian man pleads guilty to breaching UN sanctions on North Korea

An Australian man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to attempting to broker weapons and commodities deals with North Korea, contravening United Nations sanctions. Chan Han Choi, 62, was in 2017 charged with seven offences including allegations he sought to help provide North Korea with weapon sales. Choi had previously denied all charges.

An Australian man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to attempting to broker weapons and commodities deals with North Korea, contravening United Nations sanctions. Chan Han Choi, 62, was in 2017 charged with seven offences including allegations he sought to help provide North Korea with weapon sales.

Choi had previously denied all charges. But on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to two charges including brokering a service for the sale of arms and related materiel from Pyongyang and attempting to export coal from North Korea to Indonesia. Choi, a civil engineer born in South Korea, will return to court on March 19 for sentencing.

Cash-strapped North Korea has come under stricter United Nations sanctions after pressing ahead with its missile and nuclear programmes in defiance of international pressure.