 The following article, drawn from press accounts and independent reporting by the author, reviews the on-going investigation by Japanese authorities of the Korean Association of Science and Technology (KAST, or Kakyo, as it is known in Japan), an association of scientists and engineers of North Korean-origin resident in Japan. Kakyo, is alleged to have illicitly provided North Korea with technology and equipment to support that country’s missile and, possibly, other sensitive military programs, a charge which the organization denies. Kakyo is an affiliate of a broader, umbrella organization of North Korean-origin Japanese, known in Japan as the Chosen Soren.
Since 2003, when Japanese authorities discovered the involvement of a Kakyo-affiliated company in the illegal 1994 transfer of a Japanese-made jet mill machine to North Korea (DPRK), Japanese law enforcement officials have focused increasing attention on the role of the organization in the unauthorized transfer of dual-use technology to the DPRK. (A jet mill is used to grind material to a super-fine powder, of the type used to produce solid fuels for missiles.) A series of raids and arrests in late 2005 and late 2006 brought to light additional details about the group’s alleged involvement in military and industrial espionage in Japan, although the results of investigations into the group’s activities have yet to be fully disclosed.
Background
Sources differ somewhat as to the history of Kakyo. While Chosen Soren’s official website states that the Kakyo was established in June 1959, a report by an independent North Korea specialist places its origins in June 1946, when the Association of the Scientists of North Korean Residents in Japan was established in the Kanto area, in the eastern part of the country. [1] According to this report, this organization was subsequently reorganized into the Association of Natural Science and Technology of North Korean Residents in Japan in May 1954. Similarly, in the Kansai area, in western Japan, the Association of the Natural Scientists of North Korean Residents in Japan was established in July 1953.
In 1959, these two entities merged to form a new Association of the Natural Scientists and Technological Experts of North Korean Residents in Japan. After several institutional regroupings, Kakyo in its current form was reportedly established in 1985. [2] The organization has its headquarters in Tokyo and has 12 branches throughout Japan. In addition, according to the above North Korea specialist, Kakyo is believed to have eight professional committees: mathematics, physics, chemical materials, biological and agricultural research, automation robotics, computer, construction, and electronics. [3] (Chosen Soren’s official website states that Kakyo has seven committees, but it does not provide any additional details.) Many Kakyo members have specialized in areas of physics and engineering. [4]
A detailed January 2006 U.S. analysis provides additional details about the organization:… the association's own documents, as well as Japanese, GAKRJ [Chosen Soren], and DPRK media, show that Kakyo is a nation-wide network of resident Korean scientists, engineers, and manufacturers committed to using their technical expertise to aid Pyongyang. The GAKRJ website's thumbnail profile of KAST describes the association's scientists and technicians as “working so that their achievements in science and technology aid the construction of the Fatherland and the development of the Korean society resident in Japan” (www.chongryon.com). An article on KAST's website, now defunct, on the building of an intranet in North Korea referred to how much it easier it had become for KAST members to conduct searches for technical literature “and other items requested by the Republic.” [5]
Reportedly, Kakyo has about 1,200 members, of which 300 hold executive positions in the organization. [6] A Japanese intelligence official who has closely monitored Kakyo stated that the association has “several hundred” members, and that the organization is engaged in the systematic collection of advanced scientific research in Japan for transfer to North Korea. [7] Another Japanese official stated that Kakyo has 1,200 members, but took the view that not all members are necessarily engaged in assisting Pyongyang. [8]
The October 2005 Raids
In October 2005, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency, in cooperation with other prefectural police agencies, conducted search and seizure raids on entities related to the Chosen Soren, and in particular, against Kakyo, whose headquarters was among the locations raided. According to the Japanese journalists who covered the police investigation, during the raids, the police confiscated a list of Kakyo members; the list included members’ names, affiliations, and areas of expertise. [9] The lists revealed that Kakyo members are affiliated with a wide range of scientific research programs at major Japanese universities and corporations; many of these programs have dual-use applications. The raids were conducted as part of an effort to enforce Japan’s laws against the illegal sale and export of pharmaceuticals and resulted in the arrest of two individuals. [10]
Japanese authorities subsequently disclosed that documents seized in the raids provided evidence that Kakyo was under the direct control of the External Relations Division of the (North) Korean Workers Party – the organization’s intelligence arm – which had tasked Kakyo to obtain specific advanced technologies in Japan and transfer them to North Korea. [11]
Among the other targets of the police raids was the ManYu Kim Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research and Nishiarai Hospital. Dr. ManYu Kim, who died in 2005, was a former president of Nishiarai Hospital and founder of the ManYu Kim Foundation. The hospital and
foundation, both located in Tokyo, are suspected to have been one of the principal sources of funding for Kakyo. [12] There are many indications suggesting a close relationship between this hospital and Pyongyang. Reportedly, Dr. ManYu Kim established a hospital in Pyongyang in 1986, a task that would have been impossible without ties to important figures in North Korea. [13] Furthermore, it has been alleged that one of the perpetrators of the bombing of the 1987 Korea Airlines Flight 858 had received medical treatment at Nishiarai Hospital in Tokyo in 1985, and Japanese police suspect that this hospital may have been involved in North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens. [14]
In January 2006, Japanese police revealed that their investigation, drawing on material gathered during the late 2005 raids, had found that Kakyo had obtained data on the guidance system of the latest version of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force’s 03-type medium-range surface-to-air
missile (SAM). [15] The police believed that this information had already been sent to North Korea. Reportedly, the leaked information was material produced by Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) regarding the simulation software for evaluation of the SAM’s ability to intercept incoming tactical ballistic missiles. MRI was reported to have subcontracted some of this work to a company thought to be linked to Kakyo. [16] A Japanese intelligence official told the author that he was certain that a specific facilitator had transferred the MRI information to Kakyo. [17]
The November 2006 Raids and January 2007 Arrests: Suspected Links to DPRK Missile Program
On July 5, 2006, North Korea broke a seven-year moratorium and launched a series of missile flight tests. On October 9, 2006, Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test. The events caused an international furor that led the UN Security Council to impose mandatory sanctions against North Korea under Resolution 1718 on October 14, 2006. [18] Among the sanctions was the requirement that all states “shall prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to the DPRK, through their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in their territories,” of heavy conventional weapons, and all items that could contribute to the DPRK’s nuclear, ballistic missile, or other weapons of mass destruction programs. [19]
On November 29, 2006, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided the home of Seo Seok-Hong (sometimes spelled So’ So’k-hong) on suspicion of violating Japanese labor laws by operating a temporary employment agency without properly complying with applicable regulations. [20] Seo was a former vice chairman of Kakyo and was then serving as an advisor to the organization. He is a graduate of the Engineering Department of the University of Tokyo and received an award for excellence from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. [21]
Press reports alleged that Seo is also a renowned expert on rocket engines – a North Korean version of “Werner von Braun” – although publicly available information about his biography indicates only that he is a recognized specialist on two-stroke diesel engines. [22] In Japan, he worked for automotive manufacturers. However, Seo is also said to be managing the Kumgang Engine Joint Venture Company, in Pyongyang. This organization, apparently because of its links to the North Korean missile program, is an entity that is currently on the “list of the foreign users [of proliferation concern]” of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. [23] This, in effect, restricts all Japanese exports to the organization under Japan’s “catch-all” regulations, which prohibit exports to entities believed to be involved in North Korean missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
Reportedly, Seo’s relationship with Kumgang Engine led Japanese authorities to launch an investigation into Kakyo’s role in supporting North Korea’s ballistic missile programs. [24] On January 29, 2007, Kanagawa prefectural police arrested Seo and his wife for violating Japanese labor laws by failing to file required documents with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, possibly a convenient means for interrogating Seo and confiscating his documents and records for the purpose of further pursuing the investigation of Kakyo. [25] Reportedly, Seo has travelled frequently to North Korea and made trips that coincided with important missile tests by Pyongyang, adding to suspicions regarding his involvement in North Korea’s missile program. [26] However, given that his expertise is in diesel engines, many Japanese intelligence officials, in contrast to Japanese law enforcement authorities, are not convinced that he has contributed to North Korea’s missile and rocket programs. [27]
According to a more recent report, in addition to Seo there are other Kakyo members who have expertise believed to be related to rocket engineering. Among them are two other experts with the same family name of “Seo (or So’).” One of them has a similar background to Seo Seok-Hong, including expertise in engine engineering and a past affiliation with the Institute for Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo. [28] The second Seo also reportedly received an award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, for his joint work with Seo Seok-Hong. [29] In 2000, it was reported that this individual served as the vice president of the above mentioned Kumgang Engine Joint Venture Company, when Seo Seok-Hong was its president. He was also the vice president of Daiei Kikai Corporation (or Daiei Machinery Corporation) when the third Seo was its president. [30] Some journalists believe that some or all of the three Seo’s are related, but a Japanese intelligence official has denied this allegation. [31]
There is a fourth Kakyo member, however, who is believed to be a professional working in Japan in the area of rocket engineering. This Kakyo member (not named Seo) was formerly affiliated with the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science of University of Tokyo. According to a Japanese journalist, he is believed to have been present in North Korea when the Taepodong long-range missile was launched in 1998. [32] Interestingly, he is said to have been employed at one time by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [33]
Kakyo Links to Chosen Soren Enterprises
 Kakyo members have been closely associated with Chosen Soren-related companies. For example, the Daiei Machinery Corporation is believed to have been run directly by Chosen Soren and subsequently reorganized into a new corporation named Diastar Corporation. [34] According to a journalist who has investigated this company, the Daiei Machinery Corporation arranged the export of measurement equipment and used railroad tracks to North Korea in the past and established Kumgang Engine J.V. Co. in North Korea in 1993. [35] The Diastar Corporation, and a second entity, the Shinei Shouji Corporation, are believed to be run directly by Chosen Soren, as well. The two companies are led by Kakyo members and located in the same building as Chosen Soren organizations in Bunkyo, a ward in Tokyo. [36]
A Japanese Version of Dr. A.Q. Khan?
The focus of the ongoing investigations has been principally on North Korea’s missile program. According to the Japanese media, however, Japanese law enforcement officials have also found evidence of the possible emergence of a Japanese version of Dr. A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani nuclear specialist who sold technology usable for the development of nuclear weapons to North Korea, Libya, and Iran. [37] Reportedly, during the police raids in October 2005, police found a document indicating that an individual, whose name has not been publicly released, might have been assisting North Korea’s nuclear program. [38] This person is believed to be a prominent expert on Japan’s Rokkasho-mura plutonium separation plant, a former senior official of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI), and a former director of the Nuclear Power Generation Safety Management Division and Technology Division of MITI’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. At a later point in his career, in late 1980s and early 1990s, he is said to have become a member of the Japanese Diet. Reportedly, he was born in Seoul, but his mother was of North Korean origin. [39]
During an interview with the Japanese media, the individual flatly rejected suspicions about his involvement in North Korea’s nuclear program. However, he acknowledged that he travelled to North Korea four times between 2002-2005 for the purpose of “observing the status of North Korea’s economy.” In 2005, he visited North Korea together with his family. During the interview, he stated:
What America is demanding of the North is absurd. The U.S. claims that North Korea should not possess a nuclear program. However, the North certainly has the right [to possess a nuclear program]. Once out of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the North even has the right to possess nuclear weapons. [40]
Separately, it is worth noting that the first chairman of Kakyo was a scientist who studied under Professor Kouji Fushimi of Kyoto University. Fushimi is famous for his research on uranium enrichment, a technology usable both for peaceful nuclear energy production and for the development of nuclear weapons. [41] Even today, there are two Kakyo members who are affiliated with this university’s nuclear research program. [42]
Conclusions
The revelation of Kakyo’s alleged activities
poses a serious challenge to Japan. While many details have yet to be revealed, it appears that important information regarding Japanese technologies with dual-use potential may have been transferred to the DPRK.
How can Japan minimize the possibility of such diversions? Should Japan regulate the access of students and researchers to dual-use technologies at universities based upon whether their parents or grandparents were born in North Korea? Should Japanese companies prohibit the employment of new researchers on similar criteria? Such rules could be in direct conflict with Japanese Constitutional provisions protecting individuals’ human rights and prohibiting discrimination.
Japan also confronts considerable difficulties in applying export controls to intangible technology transfers of the kind at issue in the episodes described above. Because Japan has important national security interests to protect and must work in good faith to fulfill its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions, it must act to prevent leakage of the kind of information Kakyo is alleged to have transferred. However, the tools available to Japan may not be up to the task.
In the end, it may not be possible to manage this problem solely through legislation, and it may be necessary to seek the adoption of better governance structures within the academic/scientific community. In the meantime, close cooperation between that community and the law enforcement/national security communities will continue to be essential. Recently, both the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is in charge of intellectual property rights and export control, and the Japanese Council for Science and Technology Policy, which is in charge of formulating Japan’s science and technology strategy, have each established expert groups to examine how to prevent the diversion and misuse of technologies with dual-use potential. These groups are the Japanese government’s first attempts to look into this complex challenge by involving stakeholders from a wide range of relevant communities, including experts in law enforcement, intellectual property rights, for-profit and academic scientific research, and national security.
Reportedly, Kakyo’s motto is: “Science has no border. But a scientist has a home country.” [43] The credo underscores the great difficulty of protecting sensitive knowledge in the midst of the information age.
Katsuhisa Furukawa -- Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the Research Institute for Science and Technology for Society or its research sponsors.
|
|
|
 |
 SOURCES AND NOTES
[1] Vladimir Al-Kuffar, “Nazo no Soshiki ‘Kakyo’ ni Semaru” [A Close Look at the Mysterious Organization ‘Kakyo’], North Korea Today, April 17, 2007 [http://www.pyongyangology.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=26]; official website of Chosen Soren [http://www.chongryon.com/j/cr/10-15.html].
[2] Ibid. Another report places this reorganization in 1984. See “OSC Analysis: Association of Korean Scientists in Japan Reportedly Involved in Proliferation to DPRK,” January 31, 2006, OSC document FEA20060131018507.
[3] “OSC Analysis: Association of Korean Scientists in Japan Reportedly Involved in Proliferation to DPRK,” see source in [2]. See also, the official Chosen Soren website, see source in [1].
[4] “OSC Analysis: Association of Korean Scientists in Japan Reportedly Involved in Proliferation to DPRK,” see source in [2].
[5] Ibid.
[6] “’Kakyo’ Jittai Kaimei he, Gunji Gijutsu to Kanren ka” [Kakyo’s Activities to Be Unravelled: Possibly Related to Military Technologies?], Asahi Shimbun, January 29, 2007.
[7] Author’s email communication with a Japanese intelligence official, September 19, 2007.
[8] Author’s meeting with a senior Japanese intelligence official, September 27, 2007, Tokyo, Japan.
[9] Author’s interviews with a Japanese journalist from a Sankei newspaper on November 15, 2006, Tokyo; interview with Japanese journalist Masaharu Fujiyoshi, working for the weekly Bungei Shunju, July 2006, Tokyo, Japan.
[10] “Yakujihou Ihan: Iyakuhin Kaisha Shachou ra Taiho, Chousen Souren-kei Dantai mo Sousaku” [Violation of Pharmaceutical Affairs Law: President of a Pharmaceutical Company and One Other Were Arrested; Chosen Soren-Related Organizations Were Also Raided by the Police], Mainichi Shimbun, October 14, 2005.
[11] “Kakyo, Kitachousen ni Gijutsu Jouhou Paipu” [Kakyo Has a Channel to Send Technology Information to North Korea], Asahi Shimbun, November 30, 2006; “Chongryun [Chosen Soren] Affiliate Under North Korean Spy Agent’s Direct Control; Japan’s Technical Know-How Possibly Diverted to Nuke Development], Sankei Shimbun, November 18, 2006, OSC document JPP20061120014001.
[12] “Kitachousenkei Byouin wo Sousaku, Kanren Kaisha no Yakujihou Ihan Yougi” [Police Investigates North Korea-Related Hospital on Charge of Suspected Violation of Law Regarding Pharmaceutical Affairs], Sankei Shimbun, October 14, 2005.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] “Rikuji no Saishingata Misairu De-ta, Souren Dantai ni Ryuushutsu” [Data on the Latest Version of the Surface-to-Air Missile System of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Was Leaked to Soren-Related Organization], Sankei Shimbun, January 24, 2006.
[16] “OSC Analysis: Association of Korean Scientists in Japan Reportedly Involved in Proliferation to DPRK,” see source in [2].
[17] Author’s interview with a Japanese intelligence official, April 10, 2007, Tokyo, Japan.
[18] UN Security Council Resolution 1718, October 14, 2006, http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions06.htm.
[View Article]
[19] Ibid.
[20] Hataru Nomura, “MPD Public Security Division’s Second External Affairs Department Resolved to ‘Strike Back,’ Aiming to Arrest ‘Missile Brothers’ of Ch’ongnyo’n’s [Chosen Soren’s] KAST; Goal of Investigation that Began with Discovery of Smuggled Drugs Is to Shed Light on How Missile Technology Was Transferred,” Sapio, January 24, 2007, OSC document JPP20070109023002; “Arrest of Former Senior Official of KAST Under Ch’ongnyo’n for Dispatching Workers Without Filing Papers; Kanagawa Police Investigating Link With Missiles,” Jijiweb, January 29, 2007, OSC document JPP20070129026004.
[21] See sources in [20].
[22] “Rocket Engin Keni, Kakyou no Motofukukaichoutaku wo Sousaku, Ihou ni Jinzai Haken ka” [Police Raided a Home of Kakyo’s Former Vice Chairman, a Renowned Expert on Rocket Engine: Suspected to Have Deployed Laborers Illegally], Sanskei Shimbun, November 30, 2006; Vladimir Al-Kuffar, “Rike no Shuusai 3 Kyoudai” [The 3 Geniuses of Li’s Family], North Korea Today [http://www.pyongyangology.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=26]; Seo Seok Hong and Kim Tong Ku, “Studies on the Combustion of the Precombustion Chamber Diesel Engine: 4th Report, The Effect of Fuel Characteristics Fuel Injection Rate, and Precombustion Chamber Shapes on the Combustion,” Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Vol. 33, No. 249 (19670525), pp. 796-809.
[23] Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Foreign User List” [http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/anpo/index.html].
[24] “Kitakanren no Haken Kaisha Sousaku, Zenshachou ha Misairu Enjin Seitsuu” [Police Searched North Korea-Related Company That Specializes in Deployment of Laborers: Former President Is Expert on Missile Engines], Yomiuri Shimbun, November 29, 2006.
[25] “Souren Sanka ‘Kakyo’ Komonra Futari Taiho” [Advisor of Kakyo under Chosen Soren and Another Person Were Arrested], Yomiuri Shinbun, January 29, 2007.
[26] Ibid. See also, “Kitakanren no Haken Kaisha Sousaku, Zenshachou ha Misairu Enjin Seitsuu , see source in [24].
[27] Author’s communication with a Japanese intelligence official, October 23, 2007.
[28] Vladimir Al-Kuffar, “Kongo Gendouki Gouben Kaisha” [The Kumgang Engine Joint Venture Company], North Korea Today, January 31, 2007; Nomura, “MPD Public Security Division’s Second External Affairs Department Resolved to ‘Strike Back,’” see source in [20].
[29] See sources in [28].
[30] “Kitachousen ni Hatsudensho Kensetsu Shien, Kenmin no Kai ga Kitachousen ni 550-mannen Enjo” [Support for the Construction of Power Plant in North Korea: Prefectural Association Donated 5.5 Million Yen to the DPRK], Tokushima Shimbun, October 18, 2000.
[31] Nomura, “MPD Public Security Division’s Second External Affairs Department Resolved to ‘Strike Back,’” see source in [20]; author’s communication with a Japanese intelligence official, October 23, 2007.
[32] Records of Japanese journalist Masaharu Fujiyoshi, working for Weekly Bungei Shunju provided to the author. The general accuracy of this record was confirmed by a Japanese intelligence official in an email communication with the author on September 19, 2007.
[33] According to his account, he was expelled from NASA after rejecting the U.S. government’s request that he spy against North Korea. See, “Watashi ha Beikoku de Supai ni Nare to Kyouyou sareta, Zainichi Chousenjin/Moto NASA Uchuu Koukuu Gakusha no Hitsuu na Sakebi” [I Was Forced to Become a Spy in the United States: A Painful Cry of a North Korean Japanese, Former Scholar on Space and Aeronautics], Shuukan Bungei Shunju, October 2, 2003.
[34] Vladimir Al-Kuffar, “Kita ni Nerawareru Nihon no Sentan Gijutsu” [Japanese Advanced Technologies Targeted by North Korea], North Korea Today, January 29, 2007 [http://www.pyongyangology.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=26].
[35] Memo written by Japanese journalist Masaharu Fujiyoshi, working for Weekly Bungei Shunju, based upon his interviews with the Japanese and foreign officials in Tokyo, Japan, November 1999.
[36] Ibid.; Al-Kuffar, “Kita ni Nerawareru Nihon no Sentan Gijutsu,” see source in [34]; Nomura, “MPD Public Security Division’s Second External Affairs Department Resolved to ‘Strike Back,’” see source in [20].
[37] For a detailed review of A.Q. Kahn’s activities, see “Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A.Q. Khan and the Rise of Proliferation Networks - A Net Assessment”, Institute of International Strategic Studies Strategic Dossier, May 2007.
[38] Kensaku Tokitou and a special investigative team of the Shuukan Asahi, “Kakukaihatsu Giwaku: Kouan ga Marku suru Nihonjin, 2002nen kara Sakunen made Houchou 4kai. Keirekiha Toudai Kougakubusotsu-Enerugi-chou Kanbu-Kokkai Giin” [Suspicion Regarding Nuclear Development: The Japanese Domestic Intelligence Organs Trace One Japanese Who Visited North Korea Four Times Between 2002-2005], Shuukan Asahi, June 2, 2006.
[39] Ibid.
[40] Tokitou, “Kakukaihatsu Giwaku: Kouan ga Marku suru Nihonjin, 2002nen kara Sakunen made Houchou 4kai. Keirekiha Toudai Kougakubusotsu-Enerugi-chou Kanbu-Kokkai Giin,” [Suspicion Regarding Nuclear Development: the Japanese Domestic Intelligence Organs Trace One Japanese Who Visited North Korea Four Times Between 2002-2005], see source in [38].
[41] Al-Kuffar, “Rike no Shuusai 3 Kyoudai” [The 3 Geniuses of Li’s Family], see source in [22].
[42] Author’s interview with a Japanese intelligence official, April 10, 2007, Tokyo, Japan.
[43] Al-Kuffar, “Nazo no Soshiki ‘Kakyo’ ni Semaru” [A Close Look at the Mysterious Organization ‘Kakyo’],
see source in [1].
|
|
