Ssangbangwool Kim Seong-tae Completes Travel Certificate Issuance... Finalizing Departure Preparations

Likely to Enter the Country Early Next Week

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Myunghwan Lee] The issuance of a travel certificate necessary for the return of former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Seong-tae, who was arrested while fleeing in Thailand, has been completed. With this, Kim’s boarding on a flight to Korea has become possible, but the actual departure is expected to be early next week.

According to diplomatic officials on the 13th (local time), Kim applied for the travel certificate at the Korean Embassy in Thailand that morning. The travel certificate was issued that afternoon.

The travel certificate Kim received is a document issued in place of a passport for those whose passport issuance is restricted or who are subject to deportation, stateless persons, or overseas adoptees. Normally, the issuance of a travel certificate or emergency passport requires the applicant to apply in person at an overseas diplomatic mission, but Kim is currently detained by Thai authorities for illegal stay and is held at the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) under Bangkok Immigration Office. Therefore, embassy officials reportedly visited the IDC to receive the documents.

With the issuance of the travel certificate, Kim can leave Thailand. However, considering the flight schedule and the entry of prosecution investigators escorting him into Thailand, his return is expected early next week.

The prosecution plans to send investigators to Thailand to secure Kim’s custody from the Thai airport. On the day of departure, the Thai Immigration Office will transfer Kim to the airport to complete various procedures and hand him over to the prosecution.

Kim was caught by the local immigration arrest team at a golf course in Pathum Thani, Thailand, on the 10th along with current Ssangbangwool Chairman Yang Seon-gil. The Thai court sentenced Kim to a fine for illegal stay. The Immigration Office decided on deportation, and Kim expressed his intention to voluntarily return.

Kim had been under investigation by the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office for embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and fled overseas at the end of May last year ahead of a search and seizure.

Kim currently has an arrest warrant issued for embezzlement and breach of trust. In addition, he faces various corruption charges surrounding Ssangbangwool Group, including violations of the Capital Markets Act, bribery, evidence tampering, and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. He is also considered a key figure in the allegations of attorney fee payments on behalf of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.