South Korea nabs Vietnamese group for faking driving licenses

May 30, 2019 | 04:39 pm PT
South Korea nabs Vietnamese group for faking driving licenses
South Korean driver's license training vehicles are traveling on the road in Seoul, May 9, 2018. Photo by Shutterstocks/Ki Young
A group of five people have been detained for faking Vietnamese driving licenses to get Korean ones, the Korea Times reported Wednesday.

One person has been detained, while four others were booked without physical detention for "interfering with public duty" and "private document forgery," the paper said, citing the Busan Police Agency. All five were unnamed.

26 other Vietnamese have also been booked for illegally obtaining Korean driving licenses through the group.

The group advertised on social media that they could get Vietnamese residents in South Korea driving licenses without having an actual Vietnamese driver’s license. South Korea allows the exchange of driving licenses issued in Vietnam for a Korean one without additional tests or procedures, per an agreement between the two nations.

The 26 Vietnamese sent their passports, alien registration information and identification pictures to the group, along with money ranging from KRW700,000 ($58.6) to KRW1 million ($840.3).

The group then made fake Vietnamese driving licenses and sent to their clients, who exchanged them for Korean ones.

South Korean police have requested the Interpol to investigate if this racket has more accomplices in Vietnam. They have also advised the Road Traffic Safety department to adjust flaws in the foreign license exchange program.

South Korea is one of the largest labor export markets for Vietnam. There were over 45,398 Vietnamese migrant workers in South Korea by the end of June 2018, the majority of them registered under the Employment Permit System, according to official labor reports.

Phan Anh

 
 
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