Friday, July 09, 2010

English teacher in Jeju fined for importing pot seeds

K, the American elementary school teacher in Jeju-do who was arrested for smuggling 44 marijuana seeds into the country (via international mail, ordered from a UK website) has been fined 5 million won.

According to Jeju-ui Sori and the Jeju Ilbo, K's lawyer argued that K had not been aware that possession of marijuana seeds was a crime in Korea, but considering that K had ordered the package using a different name and then hid the seeds in a flag affixed to his ceiling, which made it difficult for police to find them, the judge decided that K had indeed been aware of the illegality of his actions. In sentencing, the judge took into consideration the fact that K had no previous criminal record, and had reflected on his actions.

1 comment:

kushibo said...

The paucity of punishment there (5 million won instead of, say, deportation or imprisonment) belies the notion that the courts themselves are especially tougher on foreign nationals.