March 28, 2024
News

Austria moves to deport one of North Korea’s few international footballers

SKN St. Pölten, where Pak Kwang Ryong has played since 2017, insists he still holds a "valid contract," however

The Austrian government has begun the process of revoking the work permit and issuing a deportation order against North Korean football player Pak Kwang Ryong, a report by the United Nations revealed last week, potentially marking the end of the career of one of the DPRK's few internationally-performing athletes.

The report, made public by the United Nations' Panel of Experts (PoE) on Friday but subsequently taken offline for reasons that remain unclear, detailed North Korea's continued ability to circumvent international sanctions and bring in illicitly-obtained funds and goods through cyber-attacks and smuggling.

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