Uzbek national-terrorism

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- An Uzbek national in South Korea has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for sending funds to a terrorist group based in Syria, legal sources said Sunday.

The Seoul Central District Court recently handed down the sentence to the defendant after finding the Uzbek national guilty of violating the anti-terrorism law.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay 1.25 million won (US$936) -- the same amount the Uzbek national sent in six transfers to an account designated by a KTJ member between January 2024 and January 2025.

Khatiba Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (KTJ), a U.N.-designated Islamic extremist group associated with al-Qaida, has been linked to the 2016 suicide bombing at the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan and the 2017 suicide bombing on the St. Petersburg subway in Russia.

The Uzbek national entered South Korea on a D-4-1 student visa to study at a university-affiliated language institute and was staying in the country as an international student when contacted by the KTJ member.

According to the legal sources, the court said the defendant "provided funding to support a terrorist group knowing that the funds were intended to finance terrorism and with the intention of benefiting a member of a terrorist group," adding that "regardless of the amount of the funds provided, such funding poses a serious risk to international peace and national and public safety."

The defendant was also found guilty of attempting to receive money from another person in South Korea for onward transfer to Syria at the KTJ member's request, but failed to receive the money.

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