How the first North Korean to face charges in US triggered a diplomatic standoff | NK News
NK News Logo
September 25, 2026Sep 25, 2026

Weapon Directory

Evergreen

How the first North Korean to face charges in US triggered a diplomatic standoff

O Nam Chol was accused of sexual assault in 1982, forcing DPRK and US to negotiate for first time in decades

Malaysia’s extradition of Mun Chol Myung last year marked the first time a North Korean man was brought to the U.S. to stand trial, an unprecedented money-laundering case that is still ongoing after numerous delays.

But for all the attention on Mun, he is not the first North Korean to face charges in the U.S. That distinction goes to the little-known DPRK diplomat O Nam Chol.

On Sept. 5, 1982, a Bronx woman was walking along a trail at Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester, New York, when a man launched himself at her, grabbing her from behind and fondling