FBI Holds Man on Suspicion of Spying

FBI agents arrested a Santa Monica man Tuesday on suspicion of working as an agent for the government of North Korea.

Although a federal complaint was sealed, other records and interviews show that Joung W. Yai, 59, was taken into custody about 3 p.m. at his Grant Street apartment and charged with not having registered in the U.S. as a foreign agent.

A native of Seoul, Yai has lived in the U.S. for at least 20 years.

Spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office refused to comment on the case other than to acknowledge that Los Angeles agents had made an arrest based on a federal warrant. They added only that the warrant and a criminal complaint may be unsealed as early as today at U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

But other sources said the case could have national security implications and lead to more arrests. Yai is suspected of trying to get classified documents in the U.S. and pass them to North Korea. It was not immediately known what type of documents he was alleged to have sought, whether he succeeded, nor whether he had initiated the purported relationship with the government of North Korea.

Federal sources said they considered the case significant and ongoing. It has been underway for several years.

For years, North Korea has been listed by the State Department as a sponsor of terrorism, though sources said Tuesday that the case has no links to suspected terrorist activity.

Records show that as recently as last year, Yai and his wife had a business interest in a Santa Monica restaurant, Bon Appetit, and have lived in Torrance, Granada Hills and elsewhere in Los Angeles County during the last 20 years.

Yai’s sister-in-law, Young Ro, 47, went to the family’s apartment Tuesday night because, she said, relatives in South Korea had become concerned when they couldn’t reach the family.

Ro, who said she didn’t know about the arrest, said her sister’s husband “loves America. I don’t believe he would do that at all.... I don’t think he’s that smart,” she said, explaining that his English and computer skills are limited.

“He does not have a lot of friends, only his family,” Ro said. “He loves his work, and he loves his kids. He doesn’t have time for other things.”

Ro said the Yais have a son who attended UC Berkeley and is now studying law, and a younger daughter.

Yai has owned a grocery store in Inglewood and a woman’s clothing store in downtown Los Angeles, Ro said. She believed he recently sold his interest in the restaurant.

After Yai was taken into custody, news crews descended on the Santa Monica neighborhood where property records show he has lived since June.

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Times staff writer Hector Becerra and Times research librarian Scott Wilson contributed to this report.