ID :
44008
Tue, 02/03/2009 - 20:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/44008
The shortlink copeid
Army officer arrested on corruption charges linked to N. Korean defectors
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean army officer has been indicted by the military prosecution on charges of corruption linked to his past duty involving North Korean defectors, an official said Tuesday.
The lieutenant colonel, identified only by his surname Cho, is believed to have
received a total of 26 million won (US$18,700) from defectors and brokers, the
defense ministry official said, requesting anonymity.
"Cho made it easier for them to go through security paperwork more quickly while
helping them secure resettlement funds easily," the official said, adding the
officer denies the money was a bribe.
Cho worked at the Ministry of National Defense from 2005-2007, assisting North
Korean defectors and former South Korean soldiers who returned after years of
captivity in the communist state, the official said.
More than 15,000 North Korean defectors have arrived in the South since the
1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
The lieutenant colonel, identified only by his surname Cho, is believed to have
received a total of 26 million won (US$18,700) from defectors and brokers, the
defense ministry official said, requesting anonymity.
"Cho made it easier for them to go through security paperwork more quickly while
helping them secure resettlement funds easily," the official said, adding the
officer denies the money was a bribe.
Cho worked at the Ministry of National Defense from 2005-2007, assisting North
Korean defectors and former South Korean soldiers who returned after years of
captivity in the communist state, the official said.
More than 15,000 North Korean defectors have arrived in the South since the
1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
