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| Seoul Central District Court / Korea Times file |
By Lee Hae-rin
An undocumented resident of Russian nationality who sent 8.2 million won ($6,500) in cash to a Syria-based terrorist group was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison, along with a court order to pay back the same amount as a fine.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled against the undocumented person on May 18 based on the law prohibiting the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The individual, whose name was not disclosed, has lived in Korea since 2018 and funded the U.N.-designated terrorist organization, Tavhid va Jihod (JTJ), through a group member whom the person met in Korea. The group was founded after the civil war in Syria in March 2011 and its members mainly consist of Central Asians.
Beginning in November 2020, the person made a total of 18 overseas transfers totaling 8.2 million won. The financial transactions were made to a foreign account provided by a member of the group who had been collecting funds through social media.
According to the head judge in charge of the case, the individual has no criminal history in Korea and financially supports family members in Kyrgyzstan.
The person, whose gender is unknown, said that the gravity of the crime is serious in that they were aware of what kind of group they were supporting and sending money to, as the group was responsible for suicide bombings and other attacks that killed people in the country. Despite the serious nature of the crimes, the person confessed to their criminal deeds and said they regretted what they did. "It is believed that the individual was trying to help Muslims who live in poverty and miserable living conditions and that this played a part behind their motives to send money to the group," the judge said. The person had no previous criminal record and has family members living in Kyrgyzstan.
The judge said that the court had considered all these things concerning the individual when it made the ruling against them.
