A South Korean-born resident of Sydney, Australia has been arrested and charged with acting as an economic agent for North Korea.

Police say that his actions contravened sanctions put in place against North Korea by both Australia and the United Nations.

Authorities are accusing him of trying to broker millions of dollars worth of transactions for North Korea that included components for ballitic missiles.

59 year-old Chan Han Choi, an Australian citizen, is the first person Australia has charged under its Weapons of Mass Destruction Act.

He faces a maximum of ten years in prison if convicted.