The arrest on 16 December of alleged North Korean agent Choi Han Chan on charges under the Commonwealth Weapons of Mass Destruction Act underscores the long international reach of the Kim Jong-un regime. Not since the high profile seizure of the heroin-laden cargo ship, Pong Su, in 2003 have we witnessed such a close brush with North Korean illicit activities on Australian soil.

Choi is reportedly an Australian citizen who emigrated from South Korea in the late 1980s and has, according to federal authorities, been involved in “brokering the sale of missiles and missile componentry and expertise from North Korea to other international entities”. The AFP notes it “will allege the missile componentry identified could contribute to the delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction”.

Like the North Korean regime itself, the outlandish nature of this case has significant shock value. We typically associate illicit trading in WMD systems with sophisticated and highly mobile actors operating in the grey zone of state and non-state transactions, not Australian citizens based in suburban Eastwood. More generally, we tend to think of North Korea as an isolated outcast with no real international connections other than those it has with its long-time benefactor, China.

Please click here to read the full “Australian connection shows North Korea’s global web of strength” article published at the Financial Review, written by Griffith Asia Institute member, Professor Andrew O’Neil.