Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STOCKHOLM792
2009-12-22 11:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
CORRECTED COPY: DPRK DIPLOMATS CONVICTED TO 8
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C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000792
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SW
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: DPRK DIPLOMATS CONVICTED TO 8
MONTHS IN PRISON FOR SMUGGLING CIGARETTES
REF: STOCKHOLM 746
Classified By: PolCouns Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000792
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SW
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: DPRK DIPLOMATS CONVICTED TO 8
MONTHS IN PRISON FOR SMUGGLING CIGARETTES
REF: STOCKHOLM 746
Classified By: PolCouns Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
1.(SBU) On December 16, two North Korean diplomats -- a man,
Son Hui Kang, 53, and his wife, Ung Sik Pak, 54 -- were
sentenced to eight months in prison for attempting to smuggle
230,200 cigarettes labeled as the U.S. brand "L&M" by ferry
from Finland (reftel). Any appeal must be made by January 7,
2010; the couple will remain in custody in the meantime due
to a perceived flight risk, according to press and law
enforcement sources.
2. (SBU) The diplomats were traveling in a vehicle with
Russian license plates and the cigarettes were covered with
blankets and sheets in the back seat, according to court
documents and press. When arrested, the couple protested and
tried to claim diplomatic immunity -- to no avail as they
were accredited to Russia, not Sweden. The judicial decision
notes that the couple's stories changed during the
investigation. Ung Sik Pak asserted he was on his way to a
meeting at the DPRK Embassy in Stockholm. He had information
that a cargo container was departing from Stockholm to North
Korea on November 23, and he was looking to send the Russian
cigarettes, for which he paid 4,000 USD, as a "contribution"
to governmental real-estate and power plant projects. He had
earlier claimed that he would leave the cigarettes at the
DPRK Embassy in Stockholm in exchange for money. His wife
told investigators that the profit was intended for charity,
but earlier said the profits would pay for her medical
expenses.
3.(C) The Chief Investigator at Swedish Customs told Post,s
local investigator that customs officials in charge of the
case were subjected to "pressure" from representatives at the
DPRK Embassy in Stockholm through "threatening" phone calls.
SILVERMAN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SW
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: DPRK DIPLOMATS CONVICTED TO 8
MONTHS IN PRISON FOR SMUGGLING CIGARETTES
REF: STOCKHOLM 746
Classified By: PolCouns Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
1.(SBU) On December 16, two North Korean diplomats -- a man,
Son Hui Kang, 53, and his wife, Ung Sik Pak, 54 -- were
sentenced to eight months in prison for attempting to smuggle
230,200 cigarettes labeled as the U.S. brand "L&M" by ferry
from Finland (reftel). Any appeal must be made by January 7,
2010; the couple will remain in custody in the meantime due
to a perceived flight risk, according to press and law
enforcement sources.
2. (SBU) The diplomats were traveling in a vehicle with
Russian license plates and the cigarettes were covered with
blankets and sheets in the back seat, according to court
documents and press. When arrested, the couple protested and
tried to claim diplomatic immunity -- to no avail as they
were accredited to Russia, not Sweden. The judicial decision
notes that the couple's stories changed during the
investigation. Ung Sik Pak asserted he was on his way to a
meeting at the DPRK Embassy in Stockholm. He had information
that a cargo container was departing from Stockholm to North
Korea on November 23, and he was looking to send the Russian
cigarettes, for which he paid 4,000 USD, as a "contribution"
to governmental real-estate and power plant projects. He had
earlier claimed that he would leave the cigarettes at the
DPRK Embassy in Stockholm in exchange for money. His wife
told investigators that the profit was intended for charity,
but earlier said the profits would pay for her medical
expenses.
3.(C) The Chief Investigator at Swedish Customs told Post,s
local investigator that customs officials in charge of the
case were subjected to "pressure" from representatives at the
DPRK Embassy in Stockholm through "threatening" phone calls.
SILVERMAN