Don’t deport Korean, embassy appeals to BI

PHOTO from Bureau of Immmigration website.

MANILA, Philippines–The South Korean embassy in Manila has asked the Bureau of Immigration to set aside deportation proceedings against one of its nationals who was convicted by a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) of a crime involving moral turpitude almost 20 years ago, documents obtained by the Inquirer showed.

Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison, however, has yet to act on the request of Korean Ambassador Hyuk Lee to stop the deportation of Kang Taesik, 69, of Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City, according to lawyer Alex Y. Tan in his complaint to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Tan also said that based on the letter of Mison to the Korean envoy, a copy of which he furnished the Inquirer, the immigration commissioner explained that Kang was ordered deported on June 26 by the board of commissioners after the Korean national was convicted of violating BP 22, or the Anti-Bouncing Check Law of 1996.

The Korean ambassador, Tan said, asked Mison to defer the deportation proceedings against Kang pending the Makati RTC’s decision on his motion for reconsideration.

“Mr. Kang violated immigration laws and his continued stay in the country is another violation,” Tan told the Inquirer.

The deportation order signed by six members of the board of commissioners stemmed from the complaint filed by Tan at the NBI against Kang’s continued stay in the country despite being convicted of a crime.

NBI Director Virgilio Mendez forwarded the complaint to the Bureau of Immigration, which became the basis of the deportation proceedings against Kang that led to a deportation order, Tan said.

In his counter-affidavit submitted to the board of commissioners, Kang maintained that he was innocent of the crime and insisted that the complainant, who was his former lawyer, “deliberately neglected his cases to have him convicted of the bouncing check law.”

In the same affidavit, Kang also accused Tan of maneuvering his deportation so they could take over his business interests in the country.

Kang is a holder of a permanent resident visa, which he obtained on April 14, 1983. He has been engaged in the export and import of food and beverages.