Joseonjok Mastermind Voice Phishing 'Geumdokki' Gang... All Caught Are Koreans Born in the 1990s

Korean members of a voice phishing organization, who were prosecuted on charges of embezzling tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won per case under the direction of a Joseonjok (ethnic Korean Chinese) voice phishing ringleader, were collectively sentenced to prison. All 10 voice phishing members were young people born in the 1990s.

According to the legal community on the 31st, Judge Kim Jae-eun of the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 13 recently sentenced Shin Mo (28) and nine others, who were indicted on charges including joining and participating in a criminal organization, fraud, and violation of the Act on the Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds, to prison terms ranging from 1 year to 1 year and 10 months depending on their degree of involvement in the crimes. They are accused of participating in voice phishing crimes targeting Koreans while traveling between China, Thailand, and other countries from 2018 to 2020.

The voice phishing group, led by Nam Mo, a Joseonjok known as 'Geumdokki' (Golden Axe) or 'Arirang,' established voice phishing offices and accommodations in Qingdao, Dalian, Zhangjiajie in China, and Chiang Mai in Thailand, recruiting Korean members to direct and carry out the crimes.

The Korean members, all in their 20s at the time of the crimes, committed voice phishing offenses while being provided lodging and meals locally in China or Thailand for periods ranging from as short as one month to as long as one year. The youngest defendant, born in 1998, was sentenced to prison at the age of 26. At the time of the actual crimes, he was only 20 years old.

Nam's group, 'Geumdokki,' provided airfare to newly recruited Korean members to bring them overseas. They then supplied scripts detailing the crime scenarios, using common tactics such as impersonating prosecutors, prosecution investigators, and loan company employees to involve them in the crimes. They also showed meticulousness by conducting the crimes during the same hours as Korean bank working hours.

Victims who were deceived by their voice phishing were found to have been extorted of tens of millions of won per case. The total amount embezzled by each defendant reached as much as 384 million won.

Judge Kim stated, "For a significant number of victims, the damage has not been fully recovered," and added, "Voice phishing crimes target many innocent citizens, causing great social harm, so strict punishment is necessary." However, he explained the sentencing rationale by considering "(some) defendants confessed to the crimes, the defendants did not hold key positions or roles in the voice phishing organization, and the profits gained by the defendants from each crime do not appear to be very large."

However, regarding the charges of violating the Act on the Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds, the court acquitted them, stating, "The defendants, together with accomplices, receiving transfers from victims into bank accounts prepared in advance by the criminal organization (Nam's group) is merely the criminal act that generates criminal proceeds itself, and cannot be regarded as disguising the acquisition of criminal proceeds."