"Having Hundreds of Thousands of Masks" Chinese National Arrested for Mask Sales Fraud in Jeju

Jeju Visa-Free Entry Halted, Crime Committed Just Before Suspension

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A Chinese national who committed fraud in Jeju by exploiting the mask shortage caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has been arrested by the police.

On the 28th, the International Crime Investigation Unit of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency announced that they had detained a 33-year-old Chinese national, A, on charges of fraud.

According to the police, earlier this month, A posted on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) WeChat that he was selling masks.

Subsequently, A deceived four Chinese buyers by claiming, "I have hundreds of thousands of masks in stock from the manufacturer," and received a total payment of approximately 170 million won for 81,000 masks.

Police investigations revealed that A entered Jeju on the 29th of last month, just before the suspension of visa-free entry for foreigners, and committed the crime.

The police are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the case with A.