By Alexander Tehoon Ahn

Eighteen Chinese students and two brokers were caught having fabricated diplomas and school records to gain admittance in Korean universities, police in Gyeonggi Province said Monday.

Investigators said a 31-year-old Korean-Chinese female broker, surnamed Kang forged a high school diploma and academic documents to help a 28-year-old Jang enter a university in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, for a Korean language program in September 2009.

Police said Kang received 7 million won ($6,190) from Jang, who was not eligible for a D-4 visa to enroll in the language course, in return for arranging the illegal admission to the local school.

Seventeen other students were also found to have paid 7 to 18 million won to the brokers for bogus diplomas, school records transcripts and recommendations that helped them enter domestic colleges and universities, mainly in provincial areas.

Police notified the affected schools and the immigration office of the illegal admissions so that they can take proper action against the Chinese.