S. Koreans nabbed in Vietnam for running online gambling ring

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Koreans operating an illegal high-stake sports gambling website in Vietnam has been apprehended in the Southeast Asian country, the South Korean police said Wednesday.

The seven-member ring, including a 39-year-old surnamed Joo, were to be extradited to Seoul later in the day by the local police in Hanoi, the National Police Agency (NPA) said.

The extradition is the first since South Korea and Vietnam agreed to strengthen cooperation in investigations last month.

South Korean authorities requested assistance from the Vietnamese police last week, after receiving a tip that the Koreans were running an illegal online gambling site with total bets reaching some 10 billion won (US$8.23 million) in Vietnam.

Vietnamese police also handed over evidence confiscated from the suspects, including computers, cell phones and the accounting books, police said.

"When a South Korean fugitive was arrested in Vietnam, it usually took more than a month, but this case was exceptional in that the extradition came only two days after the arrest, with a simplified procedure," an official from the NPA said.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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