Russia accuses detained South Korean of espionage, Russian information company says

A South Korean citizen arrested in Russia earlier this 12 months on suspicion of spying is to stay in custody till mid-June, Russia’s state information company Tass mentioned Monday.

The information company mentioned it’s the first time {that a} South Korean has been arrested for espionage in Russia.

Tass mentioned the person, recognized by the company as Baek Received-soon, was detained “initially of the 12 months” within the far jap metropolis of Vladivostok and was taken to Moscow on the finish of February. He’s being held in Lefortovo Jail, the place a court docket on Monday ordered his detention prolonged till June 15, Tass mentioned.

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Tass cited an unnamed regulation enforcement official as saying the suspect handed on data “constituting state secrets and techniques to overseas intelligence providers.” The case has been labeled “prime secret” and no additional particulars have been made public.

South Korea’s International Ministry mentioned Tuesday it has been offering obligatory consular service to the person since discovering out about his arrest. However the ministry declined to offer additional particulars, saying the case was beneath investigation.

Over the previous 12 months, Russia has detained a number of overseas nationals and accused them of committing numerous offenses.

Final March, Russia detained Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Avenue Journal reporter who was on a enterprise journey to Russia, on espionage prices. In October, Russian-U.S. journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was detained for failing to register as a overseas agent and later charged with spreading “false data” in regards to the Russian navy.

Final month, Tass reported a German man had been detained and accused of smuggling medicine. Additionally in February, Russian state information businesses reported a twin U.S.-Russian girl recognized as Ksenia Khavana was arrested on prices of committing treason.

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Russia has beforehand been accused of focusing on overseas residents to make use of them as bargaining chips to safe the discharge of Russian prisoners overseas. The Russian authorities has denied the accusations.

In a current interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to recommend that in trade for Gershkovich, Russia is in search of the return of Vadim Krasikov, who’s serving a life sentence in Germany after being convicted of the 2019 killing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity.

Gershkovich can be held in Lefortovo Jail, infamous for its harsh circumstances. The jail dates from the czarist period and has been a terrifying image of repression since Soviet instances.