S. Korean military officers arrested in bribery scandal in Iraq

SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean military officer has recently been
arrested on charges of receiving bribes from an Iraqi constructor while he was
serving in the troubled country last year, military officials said Saturday.

The 30-year-old captain allowed the constructor to delay its work related to the
South Korean base and received about US$25,000 in cash and other bribes,
including a digital camera, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that a master sergeant
who worked with him has also been arrested on charges of seeking bribes from the
same company.
South Korea completed its four-year deployment of patrol and reconstruction
troops in Iraq last month. The Zaytun unit had been part of U.S.-led
anti-terrorism forces and served in Irbil.
The two officers, who oversaw engineering and construction, were arrested last
month, but no separate charges were filed, the officials said.
South Korea sent its investigators to Iraq in September after being tipped off by
U.S. intelligence there.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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