South Korean plant poacher jailed in US
[LOS ANGELES] A South Korean man who travelled around the world stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of plants to smuggle to Asia was jailed in the US on Thursday (Jan 20).
Kim Byungsu admitted digging up US$150,000 worth of Dudleya succulents from remote parks in northern California.
The plant, which grows in bud-like circles and resembles an artichoke, is native to the rugged coastlines of Oregon and northern California.
It is popular in East Asia, where it is used for decoration.
A court in Los Angeles heard how Kim and his accomplices swiped thousands of the succulents from several state parks in 2018, before boxing them up and claiming they were purchased legally in San Diego.
The shipment was intercepted before it left the United States.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
Kim was arrested and his passport was seized, but he later convinced the South Korean consulate to issue a new document, claiming his original had been lost.
He fled abroad but was arrested and convicted in South Africa for illegally harvesting plants native to that country for export to Asia.
Prosecutors who extradited Kim in 2020 said his raid on California's flora was not an isolated incident, and that he had travelled to the United States more than 50 times.
"Customs records show that he was travelling for succulent-related purposes and often with tens of thousands of dollars in cash (sometimes declared, sometime not) and fake phytosanitary certificates," they said.
Kim admitted to 1 count of attempting to export plants taken in violation of state law. He was jailed for 2 years.
AFP
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Lifestyle
Former Zouk morphs into mod-Asian Jiak Kim House, serving laksa pasta and mushroom bak kut teh
Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito
Victor Liong pairs Aussie and Asian food with mixed results at Artyzen’s Quenino restaurant
If Jay Chou likes Ju Xing’s zi char, you might too
Mod-Sin cooking izakaya style at Focal
What the fish? Diving for flavour at Fysh – Aussie chef Josh Niland’s Singapore debut