Michael Spavor

Michael Spavor
Spavor in August 2010
Born
Michael Peter Todd Spavor

1976 (age 47–48)[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Occupations
  • Consultant
  • director
Websitepaektuculturalexchange.org (until 2020)

Michael Peter Todd Spavor (born 1976) is a Canadian consultant who has worked extensively in North Korea. He is the director and founding member of Paektu Cultural Exchange, a NGO that facilitates sports, cultural, tourism and business exchanges involving North Korea.[2][3][4]

In December 2018, while he was living and working in Dandong on the Chinese side of the China–North Korea border, Spavor was taken into custody, along with Michael Kovrig, by Chinese officials.[5] The arrest was widely interpreted as retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.[6][7] On August 10, 2021, Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison for espionage.[7][8] On September 24, 2021, Spavor was released after the dropping of Meng Wanzhou's extradition request as part of her deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.[9] Canadian officials initially claimed the espionage charges were "unfounded". However, in 2023, Spavor alleged that he may have unwittingly been used by Michael Kovrig for espionage, saying Kovrig had passed on information relating to North Korea from Spavor to Canadian intelligence agencies.[10]

  1. ^ Pollard, Martin Quin; Ljunggren, David; Ljunggren, David; Scherer, Steve; Scherer, Steve (March 19, 2021). "Trudeau condemns Canadian's trial held behind closed doors in China". Reuters.
  2. ^ "Michael Spavor: The detained Canadian close to Kim Jong-un". BBC News. December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  3. ^ News, Bloomberg (September 26, 2021). "Huawei CFO gets hero's welcome; Canadians land quietly". National Post. Retrieved September 30, 2021. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Cocktails with Kim Jong Un: the Canadian jailed in China for spying". France 24. August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  5. ^ 北朝鮮交流事業のマイケル・スパバ氏 中国でのVIP待遇から一転スパイ罪（1/2）. KoreaWorldTimes (in Japanese). June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Clarke, Donald (December 17, 2018). "China is holding two Canadians as hostages. It's not even denying it". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Buckley, Chris; Bilefsky, Dan; Sherlock, Tracy (August 10, 2021). "China Sentences Canadian Businessman to 11 Years in Prison". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  8. ^ Crossley, Gabriel (August 10, 2021). "Chinese Court Convicts Canadian Michael Spavor on Charge of Espionage". Reuters. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  9. ^ "China releases detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor after extradition against Meng Wanzhou dropped". September 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Spavor blames fellow prisoner Kovrig for Chinese detention, alleges he was used for intelligence gathering". The Globe and Mail. November 18, 2023.