Elderly Namul Vendor Grandma Targeted... Couple Who Paid 50,000 Won with 'Color Copy' Roamed Nationwide

50,000 Won Color Copies... 90 Counterfeits, 22 Used
Suwon High Court Upholds 1-Year Prison Sentence for Main Perpetrator

A couple in their 20s who targeted elderly small business owners using counterfeit 50,000 won bills made with color photocopies were sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 30th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judges Park Seon-jun, Jeong Hyeon-sik, Bae Yun-gyeong) dismissed both the defendants' and the prosecution's appeals in the appeal trial for A (29) and B (25) on charges of currency forgery, use of forged currency, and fraud, thereby upholding the original verdict.

50,000 won bill placed on top of a multifunction printer. Stock photo unrelated to the article.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A and B were prosecuted on charges of forging about 90 bills on January 12 of this year by double-sided copying 50,000 won bills onto A4 paper at a motel located in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, and then cutting them with a knife.

They are accused of using the counterfeit bills to purchase a 3,000 won pack of maesaengi seaweed at a mart in Gwangmyeong on January 14 and receiving 47,000 won in change, and over 22 occasions until the 18th of the same month, obtaining property benefits worth approximately 1.1 million won.

The two, who were engaged to be married, were investigated to have conspired to commit the crime due to economic difficulties caused by large debts.

A and B were each sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation period.

The first trial court stated, "The defendants planned the crime targeting elderly small business owners who find it difficult to detect counterfeit currency, traveling nationwide (Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi, Yeongdeungpo in Seoul, Bucheon, Haeundae in Busan, Jinju, Geoje, Tongyeong, Yeosu, Suncheon), and the nature of the crime is not good."

The appellate court stated the reason for dismissing the appeal, saying, "Since the original verdict was announced, there have been no changes in circumstances affecting sentencing conditions or sentencing guidelines."