S. Korean Military Officers Arrested for Bribery in Iraq

A South Korean military officer has recently been nabbed on charges of taking bribes from an Iraqi construction contractor while he was serving in the war-torn country last year, Yonhap News reported Saturday, citing military sources.

Tipped off by the U.S. intelligence agency in Iraq, Korean military investigators arrested the 30-year-old captain for allowing the constractor to delay its work in relation to the South Korean base. The officer, in turn, received bribes, including some US$25,000 and a digital camera, sources from the Ministry of National Defense said.

The sources added that a master sergeant who worked with him has also been arrested on charges of seeking bribes from the same Iraqi company.

Meanwhile, Donga Ilbo Saturday raised the possibility of such a bribe-taking act in the battle field ― far away from the home country ― may have been a more widespread practice.

The two officers, who oversaw engineering and construction, were arrested last month, but no separate charges were filed, the sources said.

The South Korean military unit, Zaytun, had been part of U.S.-led anti-terrorism forces and served in Irbil. South Korea completed its four-year deployment of patrol and reconstruction troops in Iraq last month.