Lent 130 Million Won Trusting 2% Monthly Interest
Suddenly, Promised Money Not Deposited
Unstable Situation of Illegal Immigrants Being Exploited
A, a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mongolia, is about to lose the money he has saved his entire life. This happened because he did not suspect those close to him. A worked at a manpower agency located in Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, and saved over 100 million won. At that time, the agency’s owner, Mr. Kim, approached A, asking to borrow the saved money.
Mr. Kim promised A that if he lent the money, he would pay 2% interest monthly and repay 10 million won every month. He also promised to transfer the ownership of a caf? he was operating. When A was skeptical, Mr. Kim showed him the apartment registration under his name to assure him that he had the means to repay the money. Trusting this, A lent about 110 million won to Mr. Kim. But it did not end there. Mr. Kim borrowed an additional 22 million won from A, claiming he needed operating funds for the caf?. In total, he borrowed about 130 million won.
For the first year, Mr. Kim paid A as promised, totaling 65 million won. However, at some point, he stopped sending money. A was defrauded by the boss he trusted. Later, in December 2021, Mr. Kim even signed a promissory note stating he would bear civil and criminal liability if he failed to repay, but he still did not fulfill his promise.
Could Not Recover Lent Money, but Police Say "Insufficient Evidence"
After agonizing, A filed a fraud complaint against Mr. Kim in May last year. However, the result was acquittal due to insufficient evidence. It turned out that Mr. Kim did not own the apartment under his name. Mr. Kim testified to the police that he would not have shown an apartment that did not exist. The police judged the conflicting testimonies between A and Mr. Kim as insufficient evidence. Furthermore, regarding the 65 million won transferred, the police considered that there was at least an intention to repay.
A’s Mongolian acquaintance, Sara (a pseudonym), said, "Mr. Kim showed forged documents," and added, "We have the promissory note and loan agreement documents, so I cannot understand why there is insufficient evidence for fraud." She also expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "The police did not consider that A’s wages amounting to about 26 million won were also withheld."
This is not just A’s problem. The vulnerable situation of foreign workers is easily exploited. The number of migrant workers, which was 518,000 in 2017, decreased to about 340,000 in 2021 due to COVID-19. However, unpaid wages reached 118.3 billion won in 2021, doubling from 68.6 billion won in 2016. If the scope is expanded to include undocumented immigrants, whose exact statistics are not collected, the damage is expected to increase.
Accused of Obstruction of Business and Taken to Immigration Office... At Risk of Deportation Without Recovering Money
A, who was defrauded, is currently detained at the Jeonju Immigration Office. In November last year, he went to Mr. Kim with a lawyer demanding repayment but was instead accused of obstruction of business. When he filed a fraud complaint, he avoided forced deportation under the "Exemption System from Immigration Notification Obligation," but after being accused, he is now at risk of deportation. If deported as is, A, an undocumented immigrant, will find it difficult to recover the money owed to him. A’s side complained that according to the Immigration Control Act, if a person is under investigation by investigative agencies or has applied for rights relief procedures, temporary suspension of detention can be granted on the condition of deposit of a bond, but the Jeonju Immigration Office is refusing to accept this.
Sara said, "Being an undocumented immigrant does not mean one must be defrauded," and added, "Instead of exploiting their disadvantaged situation and turning a blind eye, I hope their damages can be restored."
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