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(123rf) |
South Korean intelligence authorities believe a Chinese restaurant in Seoul’s central Songpa secretly served as an overseas police station for China, according to a lawmaker.
Speaking anonymously to The Korea Herald, the lawmaker said the National Intelligence Service believes the restaurant in Seoul “virtually functioned” as a secret police station for the Chinese government.
The NIS declined to comment on the lawmaker's statement.
After the restaurant was pegged as a clandestine base for the Chinese overseas police in December last year, its owner held a press conference and denied the allegations.
Since then, Seoul authorities have been investigating the allegations and whether the presence of foreign police would be a violation of the immigration laws here.
According to a report by the nongovernmental organization Safeguard Defenders based in Spain, China is allegedly running more than 100 police stations overseas with the aim of forcibly repatriating Chinese nationals.
