Man sentenced for issuing false visa documents for Vietnamese jobseekers

People line up at an immigration gate in Incheon International Airport. / Yonhap

By Lee Suh-yoon

A Seoul court handed down an eight-month prison term suspended for two years to the owner of an interior design firm, Thursday, for issuing false job offer documents to more than 100 Vietnamese so they could get visas for entering the country.

The 49-year-old man, surnamed Park, colluded with migration brokers in Vietnam to issue job offer invitations to 15 Vietnamese workers from June 2017 to March last year, even though they did not actually work for him once they arrived in Korea.

The broker, whom Park met during his trips to the Southeastern country, offered $1,000 per worker once they were given a working visa or promised business contracts with new apartment complexes being built in Vietnam.

As his firm could not offer the job-based invitations to more than two migrant workers every month, Park got 13 of his business partners involved to offer false visa-issuing documents to invite 99 more Vietnamese migrants.

While Park was sentenced to the suspended jail term, his business partners were each fined between 3 million won ($2,600) and 8 million won.

“The accused colluded with migration brokers in Vietnam for personal gains, getting subcontractors ― who were in a difficult position to refuse his request ― to participate in the irregularities that allowed dozens of Vietnamese people to enter the country, most of whom are now staying here illegally,” the Seoul Central District Court said in its ruling.

It added, however, that it had the term suspended as Park “sincerely regretted” it at the hearings and the period of his participation in the illicit procedures was relatively short.