Police said Tuesday they have sought an arrest warrant for a man suspected of traveling on a passport showing a photo of a wanted fugitive, raising alarm about slack immigration controls ahead of a major global summit to be hosted in Seoul next week.
The 54-year-old man, identified only by his last name Baik, is suspected of traveling to the Philippines and back on a passport issued under his personal details but using a photo of a fugitive on Interpol's wanted list, police officials said.
The 53-year-old fugitive, identified only by his last name Kim, fled to the Philippines after allegedly swindling 8.9 billion won ($7.91 million) from a hotel casino in South Korea in December 2010, the officials said. Local police caught and detained the man last July, but he escaped five months later and has since been on the run.
Police here said they suspect Baik wanted to help Kim with the corrupt passport, although he told them he returned to Korea because he felt uncomfortable with the plan.
Police said they also booked two public officials on suspicion of issuing the passport while knowing the applicant was not the person whose photograph was attached to the application form.
They also called for stricter immigration controls ahead of the March 26-27 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, which is expected to draw top leaders from 45 nations, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. (Yonhap)