California man Shenghua Wen has been charged with shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea for a surprise attack on South Korea.
Wen, 41, came to the U.S. from China on a student visa and had connections with North Korean officials who instructed him to procure goods for their government.
The big picture: He was arrested at his home in Ontario, California, and charged with conspiring to violate federal laws regarding weapon shipments.
- Wen admitted to trying to buy uniforms to disguise North Korean soldiers for the surprise attack.
- Wen confessed to exporting weapons and ammunition to North Korea, even after his student visa expired and he was ordered deported in 2018.
- He shipped two containers of weapons and other items from Long Beach to North Korea via Hong Kong in 2023, with around $2 million wired to him for the operation.
- Wen bought a business called Super Armory and registered it in Texas to carry out his illegal activities.
- The FBI seized 50,000 rounds of ammunition from his home.
