Korean online gambling operators arrested in Vietnam

A recent extradition agreement between South Korea and Vietnam was used for the first time Wednesday when the Vietnamese authorities agreed to send home seven Korean citizens wanted for online gambling offences.

The South Koreans stand accused of operating an illegal high-stake sports gambling website in Vietnam, a Korean police spokesman told local reporters Wednesday.

The Yonhap news agency reports that South Korean authorities requested assistance from the Vietnamese police last week, after receiving a tip-off 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,” a police official said.

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