Report: Huawei helped North Korea develop cellphone network

July 23, 2019

Leaked documents have revealed that technology giant Huawei secretly helped North Korea to build a cellphone network, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The documents, which included spreadsheets, work orders, and contracts leaked by a former employee, reveal that in an eight-year period ending in 2016, Huawei and China’s Panda International Information Technology transported equipment to help build the North Korean 3G infrastructure for North Korea’s Koryolink, the report stated.

This revelation comes on the heels of trade restrictions leveled at Huawei in May by the Trump administration, on claims that the company had engaged in activities contrary to the national security or national security of the U.S. Those activities include bank fraud and violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

In a statement, Huawei denied having any business in North Korea.

These latest events could further impede Huawei’s trade aspirations with the coming international rollout of 5G, should Western nations decide to ban Huawei’s products from their networks.

The U.S. has imposed stringent sanctions on North Korea over the proliferation of nuclear weapons in that country.