ID :
199756
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 11:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/199756
The shortlink copeid
Korean-American attempted murder suspect arrested in Seoul for forgery
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-American man wanted by Los Angeles police for more than a decade on attempted first-degree murder charges was arrested in Seoul on Monday, local police said.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was running an English language institute in Seoul's posh Gangnam area under another person's name after forging identity papers, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. He was charged with forgery of private documents.
According to the police, the 33-year-old American of Korean descent was a gang member wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department since May 1997 for his attempt to kill a member of a rival Mexican-American gang. He fled to South Korea in July that year.
With the help of a relative, the suspect surnamed Kim reactivated a nullified Korean resident registration number of an emigrant in order to gain a fake identity. He also obtained and renewed a driver's license and a passport under the fake name and even made 34 overseas trips using the forged passport, according to police.
The charges against Kim also include forging a U.S. university degree, the police agency said. He used a diploma from a prestigious American university in order to run an English institute specializing in SAT tutoring, they said.
The police also sought a warrant to arrest a man surnamed Kang, a joint owner of Kim's institute, for giving lessons under false credentials and hiring unqualified English teachers, according to the police.
"Kim took advantage of the fact that authorities only have a few materials to verify the identities of those who emigrated (from Korea) as children," a police official said. "He also knew that one can launder his identity through a simple process that requires only the registration of fingerprints."
pbr@yna.co.kr
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was running an English language institute in Seoul's posh Gangnam area under another person's name after forging identity papers, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. He was charged with forgery of private documents.
According to the police, the 33-year-old American of Korean descent was a gang member wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department since May 1997 for his attempt to kill a member of a rival Mexican-American gang. He fled to South Korea in July that year.
With the help of a relative, the suspect surnamed Kim reactivated a nullified Korean resident registration number of an emigrant in order to gain a fake identity. He also obtained and renewed a driver's license and a passport under the fake name and even made 34 overseas trips using the forged passport, according to police.
The charges against Kim also include forging a U.S. university degree, the police agency said. He used a diploma from a prestigious American university in order to run an English institute specializing in SAT tutoring, they said.
The police also sought a warrant to arrest a man surnamed Kang, a joint owner of Kim's institute, for giving lessons under false credentials and hiring unqualified English teachers, according to the police.
"Kim took advantage of the fact that authorities only have a few materials to verify the identities of those who emigrated (from Korea) as children," a police official said. "He also knew that one can launder his identity through a simple process that requires only the registration of fingerprints."
pbr@yna.co.kr
