SEOUL — Two South Korean AAFES employees were ordered to pay a total of more than $1.3 million in fines after being found guilty last month of a massive black-marketing scheme.
Yu Jung-yeol was sentenced June 7 to 24 months in prison and was ordered to pay more than 678 million won — about $750,000.
Yu Gwang-ok was sentenced the same day to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. He must pay the court more than 618 million won — about $683,000.
Seoul District Court officials, who confirmed the sentences Wednesday, said both men worked for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service at Camp Market.
They said the men are appealing the sentences.
The case came to light in late March, when South Korean police announced they were investigating 18 people, including two Americans from the base and two South Korean AAFES workers.
Police said the group moved about 25,000 cases of beer and about 633 tons of expired food products from the AAFES shelves into the off-base black market.
Officials have said that one of the AAFES employees made more than $2 million on sales and evaded tariffs after he began selling food in 2004 and beer in 2005.
The AAFES employees manipulated the inventory tracking system by falsifying documents to show the goods had been disposed of properly, officials have told Stars and Stripes.
On Wednesday, Seoul court officials were unable to provide specifics as to the charges on which the AAFES employees were found guilty and would say only that they involved violations of South Korea’s waste disposal and customs laws.
Korean National Police officials who’ve worked the case could not be reached Wednesday.
AAFES officials were unable to comment Wednesday afternoon.
