Almost 200 Taiwanese convicted of involvement in fraud rings are in prison in South Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Ministry officials said on Thursday that 321 Taiwanese had been arrested by South Korean police since September 2006 for allegedly opening dummy bank accounts, receiving suspicious funds from banks or using fake credit cards for purchases.
The officials said 190 of the convicted suspects are still serving time in South Korean jails.
Last month, a South Korean university student killed herself after she was conned out of her tuition. The case that aroused international attention and prompted South Korean police to crack down on cross-border fraud ring operations, as well as prompting prosecutors to seek tougher penalties for people convicted of such crimes, the officials said.
The ministry has issued a series of press releases since the beginning of 2007 urging Taiwanese to remain alert and guard against the possibility of being set up as a front for an illegal company, group or individual based in South Korea.
The ministry urged people not to seek employment with fly-by-night companies or individuals seeking scapegoats for unlawful activities in South Korea.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
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