Grace Road President refutes claim by Tikoduadua of him being on the run, demands apology from the Minister

Grace Road Group Fiji President Daniel Kim has refuted claims by the Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua that he is on the run and has demanded an apology from the Minister.

Kim says Tikoduadua needs to apologise for the comments that he has made towards him and his other associates as it is all false comments.

He has also asked Tikoduadua if he knows what the word "cult" means after he used the term on Kim and his other associates.

Kim says if they were a cult, why were they still getting support from organisations.

He says after the statement by Tikoduadua, Grace Road Group has been bombarded with questions from many business associates and well-wishers.

Kim has also confirmed that the two Grace Road members namely Byeong Joon Lee and Boemseop Shin have been removed from the country without the group's knowledge or information about the removal process and they are genuinely surprised by the sudden stance by the Police and Immigration.

He says their lawyers had successfully obtained a court order to forbid the removal of the two members and have since obtained orders forbidding the removal of the remaining members including Kim himself.

Kim says they have instructed their lawyers as well to take active steps to review the process undertaken by the police and the Immigration which they believe is heavy-handed and subject to legal actions.

He says they will fight for their justice and will not stop until justice is served.

Tikoduadua says he will comment later today.

Earlier yesterday, Minister for Immigration Pio Tikoduadua confirmed in a press conference that Daniel Kim is on the run after his passport was nullified by the Korean Government, and the Fijian Government stated that it is unable to locate him.

Tikoduadua says 7 other people from Grace Road in Fiji were wanted by the Korean Government and this included Acting Grace Road President Sung Jin Lee, Nam Suk Choi, Byeong Joon Lee, Jin Sook Yoon, Beomseop Shin and Chul Na.

Also on the run is Jin Sook Yoon.

Tikoduadua confirms the Government of Korea communicated through diplomatic channels on 21st September 2018 that they have nullified the passports of the 7 individuals connected with the Grace Road Cult.

He says these individuals' passports were nullified by the Korean Government in relation to charges laid by the South Korean Government who had issued a warrant for their arrest.

The Immigration Minister says in July 2018, Red Notices were published by Interpol referring to these individuals as *Fugitives wanted for Prosecution."

He says all of these were ignored by the former government.

Tikoduadua says using his discretion as Minister under Section 13(2)(g) of the Immigration Act, these individuals were declared Prohibited Immigrants making their presence in Fiji unlawful.

He says yesterday a task force, consisting of Police and Immigration officers, began the removal of these individuals.

The Minister says of these, four were successfully apprehended who were Acting Grace Road President Sung Jin Lee, Nam Suk Choi, Byeong Joon Lee and Beomseop Shin.

Tikoduadua says during the removal process, Fiji Airways declined to transport Sung Jin Lee and Nam Suk Choi due to a High Court Order.

He says the Solicitor General has received this court order for review.

The Immigration Minister says Sung Jin Lee and Nam Suk Choi have been released and are currently at the Grace Road farm in Navua.

Two other individuals, Byeong Joon Lee and Beomseop Shin, departed Fiji to Singapore on a Fiji Airways flight, accompanied by a South Korean embassy interpreter and four Police personnel.

He says additionally, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration is exploring legal options under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 1997 and the Extradition Act 2003, given that these individuals are subject to an INTERPOL Red Notice.

It's important to note that Fiji and the Republic of Korea do not currently have an extradition treaty in place.

As of September 7th 2023, at 09:13 am, the Solicitor-General has indicated plans to appeal the Court Order.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration will continue to monitor and address this situation in line with legal procedures.