The Taipei District Court yesterday found South Korean Cho Jun-ki guilty of stealing money from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters in Taipei and sentenced him to five months in prison.
He was also found guilty of illegal entry into Taiwan and is to be deported upon completion of his sentence.
However, Cho can choose to pay a fine of NT$150,000 in lieu of serving time in jail.
The court confiscated the NT$90,000 Cho stole from DPP headquarters, along with ¥20,000 (US$177) that was found on him.
It was the first ruling and is subject to appeal.
Investigators said that video footage and other evidence showed Cho on Aug. 1 illegally entering the DPP office, taking cash from a safe and other items.
There were concerns that Cho might be a spy or was acting under the instructions of foreign authorities to look for classified documents that could undermine national security.
However, Cho denied he had any political motives, saying that he had acted alone and was looking only for money.
He was apprehended on Aug. 7 in New Taipei City’s Wulai District (烏來), hiding in a roadside hut.
Cho was placed under detention during the investigation and court hearing.
Investigators found that Cho had arrived in Taiwan on July 31, and carried out the burglary early the next morning, after which he caught a flight to Japan, was denied entry and deported back to Taiwan.
Due to of lax security measures, he was able to evade immigration procedures at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and took a taxi to Taipei.
He had arranged for his girlfriend, another South Korean, to meet him in Taipei, and the couple changed hotels several times in a bid to elude a manhunt by authorities.
The investigation also discovered that Cho is wanted by several countries.
He was given a light sentence because he admitted to the crime and showed remorse, saying he knew he had done wrong and he had offered an apology to Taiwan, the court ruling said.
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