Foreign English instructors booked on drug charges

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Police booked six foreign English instructors on
suspicion of using marijuana, officials said Friday, with some allegedly
conducting class while under the influence of the drug.

Among those charged were three teachers from Canada, two from the United States
and one from New Zealand, all of whom teach English at private institutions or
elementary schools in Seoul. Police also arrested a Nigerian man, whose name has
been withheld, on suspicion of providing marijuana to the six suspects.
According to police, the drugs were supplied to the suspects by the Nigerian
dealer and were imbibed in and around their residences in Itaewon, a neighborhood
populated by bars and other late-night establishments. They added that some of
the suspects smoked the banned substance before heading to class in the morning.
Under South Korean law, marijuana users can be sentenced to a maximum of five
years in jail or fined up to 50 million won (US$33,300).
"The suspects are believed to have routinely used the drug from a young age," a
police official said. "We have to tighten visa controls for foreign teachers with
medical and criminal records."
According to police records, over 20,000 criminal cases involving foreigners were
reported last year, a steep rise from 14,524 in 2007.
Earlier this year, the South Korean government tightened visa requirements for
native English speakers who want to teach in the country. Applicants for E-2
visas, required for English instructors, must submit a criminal background check
and medical test results for drug use and AIDS.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)