Execs in Japan busted for winning dev bids then outsourcing to North Koreans

Two executives were issued arrest warrants in Japan on Wednesday, reportedly for charges related to establishing a business that outsourced work to North Korean IT engineers.

At least one of the individuals – a 53 year old named Pak Hyon-il – is a South Korean national. His alleged accomplice, 42-year old Toshiron Minomo, is Japanese and once worked for Hyon-il, according to local media.

Pak served as president of Fuchu-based IT firm ITZ, while Minomo was the head of Fukuyama-based Robast.

Robast reportedly obtained application development work from Japanese customers through a business brokering website, then outsourced it to North Koreans – who the executives may have believed were living in China. The action is believed to have been carried out without the knowledge or consent of the customers.

The police suspect Pak may have ties to a person in charge of the Hermit Kingdom's foreign currency acquisition activities, and are investigating ...