US Says Korean Extradition Case Was Treated Like Others

WASHINGTON _ The U.S. State Department on Wednesday played down the implications of extraditing a

Korean-American embroiled in a major South Korean presidential campaign scandal, saying the case was treated like any other extradition matter with Seoul and that the case was first filed long before the election year.

A department official, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said South Korea requested the extradition for Kim Kyung-joon more than three and half years ago, "long before the current election year in South Korea."

"Late in 2005, a U.S. federal magistrate found Mr. Kim extraditable," the official said. "Since then, Mr. Kim has been pursuing appeals of that decision. These appeals were not resolved until Mr. Kim's recent decision to withdraw his appeal in California."

"Mr. Kim's case has been treated like any other extradition matter under our extradition treaty with the Republic of Korea," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Kim, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from South Korea, is sought in Seoul on embezzlement charges. He is expected to arrive in Seoul around Nov. 14.

The suspect had set up an asset management company, "BBK," in 1999, with co-founder Lee Myung-bak, who is now a leading contender in the Dec. 19 presidential election. Kim floated rumors of his company's imminent merger with a foreign firm to raise its stock price, then allegedly embezzled more than $41 million

before fleeing to the U.S. using a forged passport.

Lee claims to be a victim and denies having any knowledge of the scam. But his opponents have used the BBK scandal as the showcase in questioning ethics of the candidate known for his business performance as former head of Hyundai's construction firm.

The case took an unexpected turn when Kim withdrew the appeal against his extradition on Oct. 18, which was granted by a U.S. appellate court.

Upon the ruling by the court, the final decision on his extradition was passed on to the State Department.

Under the extradition treaty, the U.S. had 60 days to make thedecision.

(Yonhap)