Kim Se Un 김세운 confirmed
Also known as: Kim Se-UnKim Se-u'nKSU
Actor-cluster tags
Photo
Wanted-notice details
Status: Designated by OFAC on July 24, 2025 under Executive Order 13382, program tag NPWMD, for support to Korea Sobaeksu Trading Corporation; subject of a State Department reward offer of up to $3 million
| Aliases | KSU |
|---|---|
| Location | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| Date of Birth | March 25, 1978 |
| Place of Birth | Nampho, North Korea |
| Nationality | North Korean |
| Sex | Male |
| Hair | Black |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Passport | 390120007 (North Korea), issued January 9, 2020, expires January 9, 2025 |
| Linked to | Korea Sobaeksu Trading Corporation, a.k.a. Sobaeksu United Corporation |
Caution
Kim Se Un is a North Korean representative of Sobaeksu that has also used various subordinate companies to support Sobaeksu's revenue generation activities, including by operating a company based out of Vietnam and hiring additional North Korean IT workers to facilitate IT development outside of the DPRK.
Remarks
From about April 2021 until about June 2023, Kim Se-Un, a/k/a “KSU,” and others, both known and unknown, engaged in conspiracy to import tobacco and tobacco products into North Korea and pay for it in U.S. dollars, in violation of U.S. sanctions against North Korea. The co-conspirators discussed ways of circumventing the sanctions to allow the trade to continue, including the use of false shipping records and bulk cash payments. On March 27, 2025, Kim Se-Un and his co-conspirators were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and charged with three counts: conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Reward
The U.S. Department of State, under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Kim Se-Un.
Sources
Every factual claim on this page is drawn from the public records listed below.
- Recent Actions, July 24, 2025: North Korea Designations (Korea Sobaeksu Trading Corporation) — U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), 2025-07-24 sanctions designation
- Treasury Sanctions Clandestine IT Worker Network Funding the DPRK's Weapons Programs — U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2025-07-24 press release
- Kim Se-Un: Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, reward of up to $3 million — U.S. Department of State, 2025-07-24 wanted notice