President Lee Jae-myung publicly encouraged public officials who devoted themselves to preventing voice phishing damage.
On the 1st, the president shared an article on X (formerly Twitter) saying that voice phishing damage fell 45% in the first quarter this year, noting, "It is truly fortunate that the public's losses have decreased in a short period."
According to the report, from January to March this year, losses from voice phishing totaled 170.2 billion won, a sharp drop from 311.6 billion won in the same period a year earlier. The number of voice phishing ring members arrested rose 11% during this period, from 6,218 to 6,904, but arrests of ringleaders and managers higher up the chain increased 60%, from 75 to 439, which was analyzed to have contributed to preventing damage.
The president said, "This is all thanks to the dedication of frontline public officials in the police, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," adding, "You worked hard. Thank you."
She added, "We must work a bit harder until the damage becomes zero," and "Our public officials will surely do so, so please offer them plenty of encouragement."