Two S. Koreans arrested in Tokyo for importing 'matsutake' mushrooms from DPRK

Japanese police on Thursday arrested two South Korean men on suspicion of illegally importing 1,200 kilograms of "matsutake" mushrooms from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Police sources here said that six residences were raided Thursday, including the home of Ho Jong Man, the head of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon as its known locally.

The association, registered as an NGO and headquartered in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward, is one of two organizations supporting long- term residents of Korean descent living in Japan and has close ties to the DPRK, acting as a de facto embassy of sorts, in lieu of no formal diplomatics ties existing between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

While the chairman himself was not detained, police arrested Lee Tong Chol, 61, who runs the Toho wholesale trading house, and Yoshihiko Kin, 42, an employee of the company.

According to police statements, the arrests were made following suspicion by the Kyoto police that the pair illegally imported around 1,200 kilograms of matsutake mushrooms, with a street value of around 3 million yen(25,214 U.S.dollars), by air from the DPRK via China, to Japan's Kansai airport in September 2010.

The produce is believed to have been sold in Japan but falsely labeled as being grown in China, according to police statements.

The arrests come as importing mushrooms violates a trade embargo Japan imposed on the DPRK in 2006, following the former's nuclear tests, with the case compounded by the fact the pair falsely stated the mushrooms originated from China.

Some political watchers said Thursday that the arrests and, in particular, the police's focus on Ho's private residence, could have a bearing on bilateral talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang on the issue of the latter's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 80s.

Ho, for his part, told a news conference earlier Thursday that he had no knowledge or ties to the trading company, despite the local police's beliefs, and following the raid, the police did not confiscate anything from his premises. He rebuked the raid as being "inhumane" and "groundless" and said that it could further strain ties between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

He added that any deterioration in ties between Japan and the DPRK during a time the latter is probing the abduction cases, will be Japan's responsibility.

Similarly, the association's vice chairman, Nam Sung U, whose home was also raided today, told a press conference the raid was " an unprecedented illegal search."

The police as part of the investigation, have already searched more than 10 locations, including those believed to be connected to the trading house and the association. Ho's son's premises were searched last May, according to reports.

But Japan defended the raid Thursday, with its top government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga claiming the searches were both "legal " and "appropriate."

Suga said that despite the raids, the government expected the DPRK to promptly conduct its investigation into the abduction issue and report on its findings openly and honestly. He said the raids should have no bearing on the DPRK's abduction probe.

Matsutake mushrooms in Japan are the most expensive in the world, with prices ranging from as much as 2,000 U.S. dollars per kilo to 4,000 U.S. dollars in some cases, depending on the specific type and depth of their uniquely spicy, yet fruity aroma. In corporate Japan the mushroom is commonly uses as a lavish gift. Endi