North Korean man arrested in purchase of military optics

A North Korean native is in custody at the Federal Detention Center for allegedly attempting to purchase U.S. military-grade night vision devices.

Federal authorities arrested Kim Song Il, 41, who has a Cambodian passport but was living in China, Thursday after they say Kim arrived in Honolulu to meet a person who had agreed to sell him the devices.

The person turned out to be a special agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard L. Puglisi ordered Kim held without bail Monday pending a preliminary hearing or indictment, and then a transfer to Utah, where the undercover sting operation originated. And for the purpose of the transfer, Puglisi determined that Kim is the same person named in a criminal complaint federal prosecutors filed last week in Salt Lake City.

The prosecution says in court documents that an HSI special agent in Utah contacted Kim through a website where businesses sell and advertise purchase requests for various products worldwide.

Kim wanted to purchase night vision optics manufactured in the U.S.

The agent testified in U.S. District Court on Monday that he first made contact with Kim in April.

Kim specifically requested the purchase of AN/PVS-14s for export to China, the government says. The AN/PVS-14 is a monocular and is the latest night vision device being used by the U.S. military.

Prosecutors say Kim told the special agent he knew it is illegal to export the devices to China but still wanted to have them and has attempted to purchase the devices from others in the U.S.

The night vision device is a controlled item under International Trafficking in Arms Regulations and can be exported only by someone who has the permission of or is licensed and registered with the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

The U.S. has an arms embargo with China and does not approve licenses for the export of defense-related articles and services there.

The prosecution says Kim agreed to purchase three AN/PVS-14s and three older AN/PVS-7 goggles for $22,000. Kim received the AN/PVS-7s when he arrived in Hawaii on July 15, boxed up the devices with used toys and towels, then took the box to a post office for mailing to China. Authorities arrested Kim on Thursday when he met the agent to receive the AN/PVS-14s.