Seven people who were involved in smuggling a total of 70 Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) citizens across the border, appeared in court in northeast China's Jilin province on Wednesday.
The seven smugglers, allegedly headed by Cui Fengyi of the Republic of Korea and Jin Jingri of the DPRK (both Chinese versions of their Korean names), were charged with violating the 318th provision of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China.
A court of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin heard the case which took place between August 2001 and April 2002.
Local Public Security Department officers said the suspects were found to have colluded with criminal gangs both at home and abroad, and their well planned and organized smuggling activities had posed a serious threat to China's social stability.
Sentencing of the seven is expected to be announced on a later date.
China is seeking greater cooperation with other countries on law enforcement to prevent people from illegally entering China, according to sources with the Ministry of Public Security.
(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2002)
