Volkswagen Scandal

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An official at Volkswagen Korea in charge of certification duties has been arrested on charges of forging vehicle test results. Here’s more on this developing story.

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An official at Audi Volkswagen Korea surnamed Yoon has been arrested. Yoon had been in charge of certification duties at the automaker for over ten years. The Seoul Central District Court issued a preliminary arrest warrant early Friday saying that the charge has been vindicated and the reasons and need for an arrest are justifiable. Yoon is accused of manipulating some 130 counts of results from vehicle tests, including tests on fuel efficiency and noise levels between 2010 and 2015. The results were subsequently submitted to relevant agencies. In addition, Yoon is charged with importing and selling approximately 59-thousand cars that did not receive gas emissions-related certification from 2013 until recently. Prosecutors also believe Yoon was involved in software manipulation to illegally modify the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI in a way that would enable its sale in Korea. The model had previously been banned due to its emission levels surpassing domestic standards. The prosecution announced that in questioning Yoon, they secured testimony and related emails showing that the carmaker's German headquarters directly ordered the software manipulation. Investigators will further question Yoon over details of the headquarters' instructions, while considering judicial cooperation with German prosecutors.