U.S. ambassador's wife under suspicion of illegal commercial activity

The wife of U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow came under South Korean government scrutiny on Tuesday after she was suspected to have engaged in illegal commercial activity without a work permit.

Since her arrival in Seoul with her husband in October, 2005, Lisa Vershbow has received wide local media attention because of her keen interest in making creative jewelries. She introduced herself as a jewelry designer and artist.

In June, she held a special exhibition of her works jointly with Sun Gallery in Seoul. She reportedly sold 20 million won worth of jewelries through the exhibit and took half of the income.

South Korean officials began checks on the case after a local newspaper reported it.

"We have not found yet whether Mrs. Vershbow's activity had been illegal or not," Park Jae-kyu, an official at the Justice Ministry, told Yonhap News Agency. "If it is found illegal, we will formally investigate it.

Robert Ogburn, the spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, acknowledged that Lisa Vershbow had no work permit when she held the exhibition and said she was taking required action to obtain it.

"In fact, the appropriate application process is underway," Ogburn said in an e-mail statement to Yonhap. "For this reason, Mrs. Vershbow has been working with the Korean government (through the appropriate Embassy office) to absolutely ensure that she is in full compliance with any relevant regulations."

"Mrs. Vershbow is a well known artist who was invited to show her work in Korea well before she had any inkling that she might someday move here. As such, she is an active proponent of cultural exchange through art as well as charitable cuases," he said. According to Korean immigration officials, foreign diplomats' families usually get issued A-1 visas, which do not allow them to work but they can ask for a work permit additionally with recommendation from the Foreign Ministry.

One immigration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "many" foreigners are fined for engaging in illegal commercial activity in South Korea.

Seoul, Sept. 19 (Yonhap News)