S. Korea finds BMW guilty of faking vehicle emissions tests

'배출가스 인증조작' BMW 1심서 벌금 145억원…'소비자 신뢰 훼손'BMW Korea has been found guilty of fabricating the results of its vehicle emissions tests.That's the latest from the ongoing dispute between the nation's prosecutors and the German automaker.Choi Si-young gets us up to speed with the developments. On Thursday, the Seoul Central District Court confirmed a fine of roughly 13 million U.S. dollars against the local unit of BMW... and handed down prison sentences of up to 10 months for six employees,... including senior management responsible for the cover-up.BMW had been accused of manipulating the vehicle emissions test reports it sent to the government for nearly 30-thousand vehicles it imported.In the ruling, the court said the automaker not only obstructed the South Korean government's efforts to clean up air pollution but also betrayed the trust of consumers.But it did say that it took into consideration the pressure entry level employees must have felt from senior management to secure government authentication for vehicle emissions tests.Of the six sentenced to prison, three were given suspended sentences.Another German carmaker, Volkswagen Korea, is also charged with manipulating emissions test reports.In 2016, South Korean prosecutors opened a probe into the firm, and shortly after in the same year, the government suspended sales of all its vehicles.Consumers sued for damages, but there have been no rulings yet.Choi Si-young, Arirang News.