Woman Pleads Guilty to Helping Smuggle $500,000 of Scotch, Cognac and Soft Drinks Into North Korea

Japanese radar equipment is installed on a North Korea boat on Yalu River which lies between Dandong, China and Sinŭiju, North Korea on June 4, 2023. (Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun/ AP Images )

A Singaporean woman has been fined for helping smuggle nearly half a million dollars worth of Johnnie Walker, Hennessy, Chivas Regal and soft beverages into North Korea, The Straits Times reported Tuesday.

Koh Po Choo, 57, a manager at Skyline Shipping, reportedly pleaded guilty to helping another company, Eluva International, deliver goods in violation of U.N. trade sanctions. According to The Straits Times, Choo coordinated with Eluva as a freight forwarder in 2017 and 2018. Using an intermediary based in Dalian, China, Choo arranged beverage shipments totaling 661,850 Singapore dollars (US $499,750) to North Korea. In addition to liquor, shipments included Nescafe and Pokka drinks.

The contact in Dalian acted to circumvent sanctions. While Singapore has maintained a complete ban on trade with North Korea since 2017, China still permits shipments of alcohol and other select products.

In apparent recognition of the ban, Choo reportedly told Eluva that North Korea could not be listed as the final destination for the goods.

The United Nations Act that Choo was found in violation of carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 Singapore dollars (US $370,000). Considering Choo an accomplice rather than a perpetrator, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li levied a fine of just 3,500 Singapore dollars (US $2,600) without prison time.

Alluding to the light punishment, Koh’s lawyer told North Korea News:

“She made no profit and did not arrange the purchase of the goods shipped and was not involved in the subsequent sale. On that basis, the court held that the harm caused was slight and her culpability low.”

Eluva International and one of its directors, Eugene Lee Chun Foong, reportedly still await trial. In 2022, Eluva was accused of working directly with soft drink maker Pokka to smuggle over a million dollars worth of beverages into North Korea. Both parties have denied the claim.

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