650 Victims... 'Kia Motors Employment Scam' Revealed in Open Chat Room

Pastor "Never Tell Anyone Else" Silences Victims
Over 650 Victims and Estimated Damage of 15 Billion KRW
Pastor Denies Charges... Accomplices Under Investigation

A large-scale Kia Motors recruitment scam occurred in Gwangju.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A large-scale fraud case disguised as employment mediation for Kia Motors has occurred in Gwangju.

The number of victims reaches 650, and some speculate that the damage exceeds 15 billion won. Victim B, in their 20s, said, "I was told I could be hired as a regular employee at Kia Motors Gwangju Plant," and was introduced to Pastor A through another church pastor.

Pastor A claimed that if documents were fabricated to appear as if one were an employee of a Kia Motors Gwangju Plant partner company, Kia Motors would hire regular employees through its partners. Pastor A said that a deposit was required to prepare for various accidents during employment at the partner company and had 30 million won transferred to his account.

He also warned, "Do not tell anyone else," to keep it secret. After one or two years passed without hiring, B began to suspect. Each time, the pastor provided false hiring schedules and reassured B by saying, "It didn't work this time, but it will next time."

When victims urged, "When will the hiring happen? Return the money," the pastor said, "Regular hiring will occur on the 21st of this month," but as no signs of hiring appeared, victims began to protest to the pastor.

The next morning, Pastor A gathered the victims twice at church and explained, saying, "I am also a victim." The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency's Intelligent Crime Investigation Unit urgently summoned investigators and questioned Pastor A as a witness. During the investigation, Pastor A denied the charges, saying, "I was also deceived by two other brokers."

Two of the victims served as co-representatives of the victim group and opened a mobile messenger 'Open Chat Room' to gather victims. More than 300 victims who passed the chat room entry condition, which required proof of money transfer to Pastor A, joined. The victims were spread across various regions nationwide. The circumstances of meeting Pastor A varied: some met him directly, some were introduced by other pastors, and others through several acquaintances.

The pastor demanded money transfers from victims under different conditions such as 'partner company employee hiring,' 'special recruitment,' and 'company research fund donation,' but the reason for all transfers was 'Kia Motors regular employee hiring.' Some victims borrowed money to prepare the deposit requested by the pastor, and some resigned from their jobs believing they would be hired as regular employees. Some introduced several acquaintances who also became victims of the fraud.

Victim group co-representative C said, "There are so many victims that it is still difficult to grasp the exact scale of the damage, but the current atmosphere suggests that the estimate of about 650 victims and 15 billion won in damages raised by some is not an exaggeration."

The police have converted Pastor A and two suspected brokers into suspects and imposed travel bans, and are tracking two others who have gone missing to secure their whereabouts. A police official said, "Pastor A denies the charges, claiming he was also deceived by the brokers, and since the whereabouts of the two suspects have not been secured, the exact circumstances of the case have not been revealed. The scale of the damage has not yet been concretely confirmed."