Two Individuals Including Vietnamese National Extradited to US for Concealing 93.3 Billion KRW Criminal Proceeds... Ministry of Justice Approves Extradition

Criminal Attempting Entry and Exit via Incheon Airport Arrested
Emergency Extradition Detention Ordered for Transfer to the US This Month

The Ministry of Justice arrested Russian national A, the mastermind of a ‘ransomware’ criminal organization, and Vietnamese national B, a key manager of a money laundering criminal organization, and extradited them to the United States. This was done in accordance with the Korea-US ‘Criminal Extradition Treaty’ procedures, with A arriving in the US on the 1st and B on the 15th.

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 19th, Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae received urgent extradition detention requests for criminals A and B from the US Department of Justice in May, and subsequently ordered urgent extradition detention at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

Russian national A is suspected of infiltrating US company networks between 2020 and 2024 and extorting over approximately 16 million USD (about 22.3 billion KRW) worth of Bitcoin as ransom for ransomware decryption. Vietnamese national B is also under investigation for allegedly transferring approximately 67 million USD (about 93.3 billion KRW) of criminal proceeds to accounts of a US media group during the same period to conceal criminal proceeds.

The Ministry of Justice arrested A, who entered Incheon Airport from the United Arab Emirates on May 15, and B, who was departing for Vietnam through Incheon Airport on June 5. Important evidence such as mobile phones possessed by A and B was also seized.

Subsequently, the Seoul High Court issued extradition approval decisions for both individuals in September. After reviewing the treaty and the legal systems of both countries, the Ministry of Justice determined that extraditing them to the US was appropriate and decided on their extradition to the United States.

A Ministry of Justice official stated, “This is a case that demonstrates the strong will of the Republic of Korea government to eradicate transnational crime to the international community.”