Ex-ambassador to Mongolia fined for facilitating visa issuance after illicit request from local firm
The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is shown in this file photo, Oct. 4. Korea Times file
A former Korean ambassador to Mongolia was sentenced Friday to 6 million won ($ 4,629) in fines for facilitating the visa issuance for a Mongolian person after an illicit request from a local company executive in 2018.
The Seoul Central District Court found former Ambassador Jung Jae-nam guilty of abusing his authority by ordering a consul to conduct a swift review on the Mongolian's visa request after the vice president of the local manufacturing firm asked for it.
Jung was also found to have reprimanded the consul after the person's visa request was denied due to obscure purpose of entry and suspicions of potential illegal employment, and ordered the reevaluation of the visa request.
The court said the envoy's act deserves criticism, but it also took into account the fact that the envoy did not take anything in return and has no history of criminal punishment. (Yonhap)