Police Intensify Crackdown on Major Public Crimes Including Drugs and Voice Phishing

The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency will conduct an intensive crackdown on major crimes affecting public livelihood, such as drugs and voice phishing, through the first half of this year until June. The special crackdowns on illegal private loans and deepfake sex crimes, which were previously underway, will also continue.

The National Investigation Headquarters Emergency Martial Law Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency requested the appearance of Kim Shin, Chief of Family Affairs at the Presidential Security Service, on the 14th on charges of obstruction of official duties, but he did not appear that day. Kim is accused of obstructing the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit and police from executing an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 3rd. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

According to the police on the 16th, arrests of drug supply offenders increased by 5.9% compared to the previous year, and arrests of voice phishing organization members surged by 27%. The number of arrests for illegal private loans rose from 1,400 to 1,977, and arrests for deepfake sex crimes increased from 100 to 682.

However, last year marked the first time that the proportion of drug offenders in their teens to thirties exceeded 60%, indicating that drug distribution through online channels is spreading mainly among younger generations. The number of voice phishing victims increased for the first time since 2019, and the amount of damage recorded an all-time high.

The police will focus on cracking down on ▲online drugs ▲medical drugs ▲vulnerable areas ▲illegal cultivation of poppies and cannabis. Additionally, the dark web and virtual asset specialized drug investigation teams operating in city and provincial police agencies nationwide will be reorganized into dedicated online drug investigation teams. Furthermore, intensive investigations will be conducted on online distribution channels such as drug advertisement agencies, illegal virtual asset exchanges, and couriers.

Starting next month, a joint government crackdown team composed of the National Police Agency, Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Coast Guard, Customs Service, and Ministry of Justice will be formed to carry out special joint crackdowns on areas vulnerable to drug crimes, such as entertainment districts including clubs and bars, foreigner-dense facilities, and ports and airports.

Regarding phishing crimes, focus will be placed on ▲call center organizations ▲money laundering organizations ▲distribution activities of major crime groups. Unlike recent years when face-to-face extortion, where victims directly handed over money, accounted for a large proportion, last year saw an increase in account transfer types using corporate name bank accounts. Among these, it was also confirmed that many of the victim funds were immediately re-transferred, indicating that criminal organizations are actively attempting money laundering.

The police will concentrate on tracking and arresting organization members through dedicated phishing crime investigation personnel in each city, province, and police station. For higher-ranking members, charges of organizing and joining criminal organizations will be applied to ensure heavy sentences, while efforts will be made to sever connections with victims by blocking crime tools and cracking down on distribution activities.

Woo Jong-su, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, stated, “The four tasks of drugs, phishing, illegal private loans, and deepfake sex crimes are serious social issues that must be strictly punished as a priority. The National Investigation Headquarters will take the lead in continuously implementing strong countermeasures.”