It has been confirmed that South Korea filed a request for the extradition of Kwon Do-hyung, CEO of Terraform Labs, who is currently detained in Montenegro, one day earlier than the United States.
According to the Ministry of Justice and legal circles on the 30th, the Korean Ministry of Justice filed the extradition request on the 24th, just one day after Kwon was arrested. This is reported to be one day earlier than the request filed by the United States.
Earlier, Montenegro's leading daily newspaper 'Vijesti' reported on a press briefing by Marko Kova?i?, Montenegro's Minister of Justice, stating that "Minister Kova?i? confirmed that the United States filed the extradition request slightly earlier." It also reported that "Minister Kova?i? said that 'yesterday (the 28th), the Korean Ministry of Justice handed over the extradition request.'"
As news emerged locally that the request was later than the U.S., there are prospects that it may become difficult for South Korea to secure Kwon's custody. However, it cannot be concluded that the earlier extradition request by South Korea necessarily puts it in a favorable position to secure Kwon's custody.
The Montenegro authorities have stated that they will decide the country to which Kwon will be extradited by comprehensively considering not only the date of the request but also the seriousness of the crime, the location of the offense, the nationality of the criminal, and other circumstances. For South Korea, whether extradition occurs depends on how strongly it can present charges and evidence to persuade the Montenegro authorities.
On the same day, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "As the head of South Korea's law enforcement agencies, I prioritize the domestic extradition of CEO Kwon," adding, "We have been intensively investigating this case since reviving the Joint Financial Securities Crime Investigation Unit at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office last year, and I believe we have sufficient evidence accordingly."
He continued, "There are various variables in such international procedures, so we will proceed properly in accordance with international law and common sense," and pointed out, "It is not true that this is a competition between South Korea and the United States, as both countries are sincerely doing their best to ensure justice is realized according to the procedures."
However, it is expected that the extradition decision will take considerable time as it will only be made after the local forged passport case, in which Kwon was arrested, is concluded.
Minister Kova?i? said at a local press conference, "If Kwon is sentenced in Montenegro for the forged passport case, he must serve the sentence before he can be extradited to the requesting country."
Kwon's local lawyer also expressed in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Montenegro that if the first trial verdict on the forged passport case is unsatisfactory, they intend to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court.
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