Prosecutors Find More Evidence in Volkswagen Scandal

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has discovered 48 more instances of emission test tampering by Volkswagen, it said Monday.

According to prosecutors, the German automaker tampered with 48 mileage test results for the Audi A4 since 2010, two emission tests for the A8 and four noise level tests for the Golf and three other models.

Prosecutors say Volkswagen knew that the government controls involve only paperwork and submitted test results of previously authorized models instead of submitting results for new cars scheduled to go on sale here. The total number of allegedly false test results submitted by Volkswagen has risen to 139.

Prosecutors grilled the head of certification at Volkswagen's Korean operation on whether he was acting on orders from headquarters in Wolfsburg.

Executives of the Korean subsidiary who have been questioned so far have all said they voluntarily tampered with test results, since it took too long for headquarters in Germany to send the paperwork. But prosecutors believe they are covering up for their superiors in Germany. Volkswagen is suffering a sales slump in the U.S. and other major markets, but not in Korea.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, the top-selling import in the first five months of this year was the Tiguan SUV (3,254 sold). Third was the Golf hatchback (2,932), and fifth was the Audi A6 sedan (2,003).

Volkswagen offered huge discounts in November last year and became the best-selling foreign carmaker here. Volkswagen recalled huge numbers of cars sold in the U.S. after emissions test tampering was discovered in September of 2015 and apologized. But here it has not even submitted a viable recall plan.