Criminals Escaped to China, `Nationality Laundering`

Domestic criminals escaping to China and changing their nationality with fake Chinese IDs has been a widespread phenomenon.

Those `nationality launderers` are living their `second life of crimes` committing various crimes such as illegal entry of ethnic Koreans, fraud, smuggling, and drug trafficking by using their fake IDs. Therefore, it is urgent for the government to make a fact-finding survey and to establish a countermeasure.

`Nationality laundering` has been committed in countries such as Ecuador in South America, South Africa, and China, where the administration of citizenry is loose, as well as other nations where many Koreans are residing.

Mr. K (51), who fled to China after committing fraud pyramid financing in Korea, which amounted to billions of won in 1995, changed his nationality to China using the ID of a person who `died already but has not been registered` and is managing a restaurant in China. He also visited Korea as a Chinese person in 1999.

The types of nationality laundering by holders of false Chinese IDs are 1) false ID with a fictitious figure and social security number, 2) copied ID by switching photos in the ID of a real person, 3) new issue of ID by making a new census registration. The costs and the times vary according to the type of the fraud.

Most of the nationality launderers are those who have committed crimes in Korea and their indictments were suspended after running away to foreign countries. They usually stay abroad during the effective period of passport (5 years) and change their nationality near the expiration period of their passport.

There is no exact data about the total number of Korean nationality launderers but experts estimate that they number over the thousands.

Mr. J, a fugitive in China, says that ``most people who stayed in China over 5 years might have fake IDs. I think there may be at least 1000-2000 people like that.``

Dong-Yong Min dreamland@donga.com