Pretended Lee Wanted a Specific Whiskey
Promised to Pay if Restaurant Purchased It First
A so-called 'no-show' scam occurred in which a group pretending to be from the presidential campaign of Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party candidate, deceived a restaurant owner by making a group reservation for an event commemorating the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and stole tens of millions of won. Police have launched an investigation.
The Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station announced on the 21st that it had received a petition from restaurant owner A, who claimed to be a victim of the no-show scam, and is currently verifying the facts.
On the 17th, A received a reservation call from someone claiming that Lee Jaemyung and members of his campaign would come for dinner the following day. As a bereaved family member of a victim of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, A did not doubt the caller's words, believing that Lee would dine at the restaurant after attending the May 18 memorial ceremony.
However, on the day of the reservation, the caller inquired about the dinner preparations and acted as if Lee Jaemyung wanted a specific, high-priced whiskey. The caller then claimed that individuals could not purchase the liquor themselves and asked the restaurant to buy it instead, promising to reimburse the cost, and provided the account number of a specific company.
Trusting these claims, A sent 24 million won. However, shortly afterward, the caller said, "We have to cancel the reservation due to a schedule change. I will send you the money," and then cut off all contact.
Later, A found out that Lee Jaemyung could not have dinner in Gwangju from the beginning due to a scheduled presidential debate. A then visited the police station and filed a petition. The police plan to investigate by tracing the flow of the money that A transferred.
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