Reports of Kenji Fujimoto detention "unconfirmed," intelligence official says



News Reports of Kenji Fujimoto detention “unconfirmed,” intelligence official says Arrest a possibility, sources say, but disappearance could also be linked to illness Chad O'Carroll \| Kosuke Takahashi June 26, 2019 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON NK News Reports that Japanese sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto has been detained in North Korea are currently unconfirmed, a Japanese intelligence official told NK News on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. Fujimoto, Kim Jong Il’s former sushi chef, may have been put in custody in Pyongyang for selling information to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which he had obtained after visiting North Korea in 2012 and 2016, Japan’s Daily Shincho said earlier on Wednesday. The outlet said that his sushi restaurant, which is called “Takahashi” and opened in Pyongyang in early 2017, had closed down as a result of his detention, though © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Reports of Kenji Fujimoto detention “unconfirmed,” intelligence official says

Arrest a possibility, sources say, but disappearance could also be linked to illness

Chad O'Carroll | Kosuke Takahashi June 26, 2019

Reports of Kenji Fujimoto detention “unconfirmed,” intelligence official says

NK News

Reports that Japanese sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto has been detained in North Korea are currently unconfirmed, a Japanese intelligence official told NK News on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.

Fujimoto, Kim Jong Il’s former sushi chef, may have been put in custody in Pyongyang for selling information to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which he had obtained after visiting North Korea in 2012 and 2016, Japan’s Daily Shincho said earlier on Wednesday.

The outlet said that his sushi restaurant, which is called “Takahashi” and opened in Pyongyang in early 2017, had closed down as a result of his detention, though

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Chad O'Carroll

Chad O'Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group's CEO, O'Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

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Kosuke Takahashi

Kosuke Takahashi is a Tokyo-based journalist. His work has appeared in the Asahi Shimbun, Bloomberg, Asia Times, Jane's Defence Weekly and The Diplomat, among other publications. You can follow him on Twitter.

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