South Korean embassy official jailed for issuing fake visas to Pakistanis

SEOUL: A South Korean Embassy official in Malaysia was handed a jail term on charges of issuing fraudulent visas to Pakistani citizens.

The accused faces charges for being into this illegal practice for three years, according to a report in the Korea Herald.

The Seoul Central District Court said in its verdict that it had sentenced the embassy official to 18 months in prison for falsifying official documents and violating the immigration law.

In his ruling, Judge Lee Sang-joo said the official had betrayed the trust bestowed upon him for the execution of his public duties and had caused confusion in immigration affairs. Therefore, he concluded, a strong punishment was necessary.

The judge added, however, that he had taken into consideration the fact that the official had not gained anything personally as a result of his crimes, and that he had admitted them and expressed remorse.

The embassy official was found to have issued fraudulent visas to Pakistanis who lacked the required documents on 20 occasions from April 2015 to January 2018.

In order to get visas from Korea’s overseas embassies or consulates, it’s mandatory for nationals of certain countries to submit invitations, affidavits certifying identity and business registration certificates from people doing regular economic activity in Korea.

The report says that citizens of those countries, such as Pakistan, face stricter visa requirements because many of their nationals stay in Korea illegally.

The embassy official, who assisted the consul in charge of visas, was found to have misused the consul’s intranet ID and password upon the request of a Pakistani acquaintance.