Minneapolis FBI investigation leads to first ever extradition of North Korean to U.S.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - For the first time in history, a North Korean has been extradited to the United States thanks to an investigation conducted by members of the FBI’s Minneapolis office.

In a release Monday, the FBI said it has extradited Mun Chol Myong, 55, of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to the U.S. Mun is accused of laundering money through the U.S. financial system and made his first appearance in District of Columbia federal court Monday.

An FBI spokesperson says Minneapolis agents were involved in the historic extradition from "start to finish." A number of agents of the Minneapolis office routinely work on extraterritorial national security cases.

In a release, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Office Michael F. Paul emphasized the importance of the extradition and praised the Minneapolis agents’ role in the case.

"Our Minneapolis agents worked this case closely with international partners highlighting how FBI special agents are persistent and have an international impact wherever they are," Paul said.

According to Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers, Mun is alleged to have "defrauded banks and laundered money in an effort to evade counter-proliferation sanctions imposed on North Korea by the United States and the United Nations."

Mun’s alleged activities were valued at over $1.5 million, according to the indictment. He faces six counts of money laundering, including conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment also says Mun and his conspirators used a web of front companies and bank accounts registered to false names to hide their activities.