'MZ Jopok' Fugitive Caught Abroad
'Jeonggukhoe' Gathering Youngest Members of Nationwide Violent Organizations
Police Arrest 37 Members... One Still Being Tracked
An 'MZ gang' member born in 2002, affiliated with the gangsters' group 'Jeon Gukhoe' who fled to Vietnam, was apprehended locally, resulting in 37 out of 38 members being captured.
'MZ Gangsters' Born in 2002 from 21 Organizations Nationwide
On the 5th, police announced that they arrested A (21), a member of a violent organization in the Nonsan area of Chungnam, at a Vietnamese airport and extradited him to South Korea, where he was detained. A and others are suspected of operating an illegal gambling site worth approximately 22 billion KRW from August last year to May this year, and engaging in various illegal activities including the production and possession of child and youth sexual exploitation materials.
During the investigation of an incident in November last year where A and other members detained and assaulted a member of an organization in the Jeonbuk region at a motel, the police identified the identity of Jeon Gukhoe. This group, formed with the purpose of 'expanding nationwide connections,' consisted of youngest members born in 2002 from 21 organizations. They also shared their group activities through social networking services (SNS).
The 38 members of Jeon Gukhoe held their first meeting on December 30 last year in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and have been holding monthly meetings since. During this time, violent clashes occurred between gangsters from the Chungcheong and Gyeonggi regions, including brawls and assaults on passing citizens, resulting in ongoing violence.
In July, the police booked A and other MZ gangsters on charges including violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes (organization and activity of groups). However, when police summoned A at that time, he deceived them by saying, "I will appear tomorrow because I had a traffic accident," and fled to Vietnam. The police requested a red notice for A through Interpol and asked neighboring countries such as Cambodia to track and apprehend him.
Eventually, A was caught at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on the 22nd of last month and was extradited to South Korea on the 2nd. The police identified four acquaintances who helped A escape by analyzing CCTV footage from Incheon Airport and the vehicle A boarded, and applied charges of aiding a fugitive.
With this, the police have located and apprehended 37 out of the 38 members of Jeon Gukhoe and are tracking the remaining one. It is reported that they are investigating not only the 21 violent organizations affiliated with Jeon Gukhoe but also the underlying organizations behind them.
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