In the first case of its kind, an arrest warrant has been sought for an immigration official accused of selling visas to foreigners, prosecutors said Monday.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office said they have filed for a court warrant to detain the 42-year-old mid-level worker at the southern Seoul unit of the Korean Immigration Service on charges of official document forgery and bribery.
The immigration service is under the wing of the Ministry of Justice and it is the first time a member of the ministry is charged with illegal visa transactions.
According to the prosecutors, the government employee, surnamed Kim, illegally renewed visas on 27 occasions in favor of some 20 Chinese and other nationals during the two-year period since early
2013 in return for financial rewards worth 11 million won ($10,100).
Kim’s offences were first uncovered in an internal inspection of the southern Seoul immigration office and were later transfered to the prosecution.
Prosecutors have also booked a 32-year-old female administrative agent for brokering the visa-for-money transactions between Kim and foreigners.
Kim has denied the bribery charges while claiming some of the irregular visa issuances were made by mistake, according to the prosecutors. (Yonhap)
