Police Likely to Review 6-Month Extension Internally
Prosecutors Join Ministry of Land, Expanding Collaboration
The police flag of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency is fluttering in the wind. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo and Sehee Jang] The police have decided to extend the special crackdown period to eradicate jeonse fraud, which has been causing continuous damage mainly in villa neighborhoods in the outskirts of Seoul and the metropolitan area including Incheon.
According to the police on the 27th, the National Police Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, plans to continue the 'Special Crackdown on Jeonse Fraud' that was conducted until the 24th of this month and is currently discussing the extension period. Internally, a six-month extension plan is being strongly considered. The police's decision to extend the special crackdown period reflects the determination of the leadership, including Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun of the National Police Agency, to wrap up unresolved cases from the previous crackdown. Since his inauguration last year, Commissioner Yoon has promoted a comprehensive plan to eradicate malicious fraud such as jeonse fraud, presenting "economic murder and malicious fraud eradication" as his first public commitment.
Since starting the special crackdown on jeonse fraud in July last year, the police have uncovered 399 cases and arrested 884 suspects as of the 1st of this month. Among them, 83 were detained. During the extended special crackdown period, the police plan to track down the masterminds and accomplices behind these cases and take legal action without exception. The police also plan to complete investigations into 378 ongoing cases involving 1,378 suspects currently being handled by provincial police agencies and police stations nationwide. Additionally, the police will continue investigating 106 suspected jeonse fraud cases referred by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in December last year. Most of these cases have been assigned to provincial police agencies and are under investigation.
Earlier, after President Yoon Seok-yeol ordered strict measures against jeonse fraud in July last year, the police launched a large-scale joint crackdown with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The National Police Agency established a dedicated Jeonse Fraud Investigation Headquarters within the National Investigation Headquarters. A total of 296 teams were formed nationwide, centered on specialized investigative personnel such as the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Units of provincial police agencies and intelligence teams at police stations. The number of investigators mobilized reached 1,681. Moving forward, the police plan to focus their crackdown on seven types of fraud, including no-capital and gap investment schemes and deposit embezzlement, led by these dedicated investigation teams.
During the extended special crackdown period, the prosecution will also participate alongside the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to strengthen efforts. On the 18th, the National Police Agency held a 'Jeonse Fraud Response Council' with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, agreeing to establish a rapid cooperation system covering the entire criminal procedure from crackdown to investigation and punishment. The police plan to create hotlines in seven key locations, including the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, where jeonse fraud is frequent, as well as regional hubs such as Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju, to investigate organized and planned crimes. A police official stated, "Organized illegal activities will be intensively investigated in an integrated manner from the beginning," adding, "Detention during investigation is the principle for serious crimes."
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