Claim: Californian man trying to ship weapons to North Korea

Question

Californian man trying to ship weapons to North Korea

Answer 1

Yes, this is true and was reported in a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice back in December. Our government discussed the situation, stating, “Shenghua Wen, 41, of Ontario, California, was arrested today on a criminal complaint alleging that he exported shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea.”

Citations:

California Man Arrested for Allegedly Exporting Shipments of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Military Items to North Korea. Office of Public Affairs | United States Department of Justice. (2024, December 3). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-arrested-allegedly-exporting-shipments-firearms-ammunition-and-other-military

Answer 2

True -- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chinese-man-us-charged-sending-weapons-north-korea-rcna182762

"A Chinese man living in the U.S. illegally was arrested Tuesday and accused of exporting guns and ammunition to North Korea and of planning to send other technology to the nuclear-armed pariah state.

Shenghua Wen, 41, was living in Ontario, in Southern California east of Los Angeles, on an expired visa when he conducted the illicit trade, officials said.

At least two shipments of firearms and ammunition were sent, hidden in shipping containers, from the port in Long Beach and on to Hong Kong and then North Korea, according to court documents."

Answer 3

Yes this claim is true. "Shenghua Wen, a Chinese national living unlawfully in Ontario, California, is accused of spending $2 million on weapons for Pyongyang." He allegedly did so to aid North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in a attack on South Korea he believed was imminent.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/04/california-weapons-shipments-north-korea-south-attack-plot-alleged

Answer 4

This claim is true. AP News is a reliable source and your claim didn't take what was said in the article out of context.

Here is an additional article from the L.A. Times that reports on the same incident:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-03/arms-smuggler-southern-california

"Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested Wen, 41, at his Ontario home, alleging he acted as an operative for the North Korean government, smuggling illicit goods concealed inside shipping containers from Long Beach.

Wen, who authorities said is a Chinese national living illegally in the U.S. after overstaying his visa, has been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which deals with sanctions and frozen foreign assets. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison."

Answer 5

It was a Chinese man who had been residing in the United States illegally and was living in southern California. The claim is technically true although very misleading as he is not an American citizen and the trade ship's final destination was North Korea when he was arrested.

https://apnews.com/article/california-chinese-man-weapons-shipments-north-korea-456a461228c6384f9092610f9c16e1f0

Answer 6

Yes, true. The original article does not cite a specific interview, but a quick Google search of “California man tries to ship weapons to North Korea” results in a CNN article stating that a “California man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea.” However, he was not originally from California; he came from China on a student visa in 2012 and remained in the U.S. illegally after it expired. Another result from the Department of Justice in August 2025 backed up this information regarding his citizenship and actions. It appears the plan for the weapons trade had been ongoing since 2022. “In 2022, two North Korean government officials contacted Wen through an online messaging platform and instructed him to buy and smuggle firearms and other goods.” I think these two sources are not very biased in how they present the information, especially the Department of Justice. However, I do think the title claiming that this individual was a “California man” can be misleading, as it leaves out the fact that he was in California illegally as a Chinese citizen.

Sources: 
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

CNN