The police will intensively crack down on major public crimes such as drugs and voice phishing. The increase in drug offenders among the youth, particularly those aged 10 to 30, has served as the background for this concentrated crackdown.
The Korean National Police Agency noted on the 16th that it will focus on cracking down on key distribution routes for drugs, particularly online, in entertainment districts, and areas with high concentrations of illegal foreign residents over the next 15 weeks until June 30. As part of the crackdown starting on the 17th, the 'dark web and virtual asset specialized drug investigation team' operating within police agencies across the country will be reorganized into an 'online drug investigation dedicated team.'
The joint enforcement team, composed of the Korean National Police Agency, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office, the Korean Coast Guard, the tariff agency, and the Ministry of Justice, will also conduct special crackdowns starting in April on entertainment districts, facilities densely populated with foreigners, and airports and ports. Focus areas will include medical drugs with low awareness of illegality and illegal cultivation of poppy and cannabis during the flowering and harvesting periods.
The police cited the increased accessibility of social media (SNS) and virtual assets among youth aged 10 to 30 as a background for this intensified crackdown, noting that the proportion of drug offenders rose to 63.4% last year, an increase of 5.6 percentage points compared to the previous year.
During this period, the police will also focus on cracking down on call centers for phishing crimes and money laundering organizations. In particular, they plan to concentrate their investigative efforts on money laundering organizations that complicate tracking by converting stolen funds into foreign currencies and virtual assets. They will apply charges related to organized crime and membership for senior members of these organizations to ensure severe penalties are imposed.
The police stated that the variety of methods used in phishing crimes has led to an increase in both the number of reported cases and the total amount lost last year. This marks a turning point, with the amount lost reaching a record high after turning towards an increase compared to the previous year for the first time in five years since 2019. The police apprehended 21,833 individuals related to phishing crimes last year and blocked approximately 220,000 major tools used for these crimes, such as malicious apps and so-called 'dummy accounts.' The proportion of funds extorted using corporate names as dummy accounts, referred to as 'account transfer type,' rose to 48% last year, up 26 percentage points compared to the previous year. The police believe that sophisticated techniques are being used, such as installing remote-control apps on mobile phones to steal information or deceive individuals into believing their personal information has been leaked, indicating a need for comprehensive enforcement.
The police will also intensify investigations into illicit private finance and deepfakes (fake videos), which have been previously pursued. A special crackdown on illegal private finance, which has been increasing among the lower-income population, will be conducted until the end of October. The concentrated crackdown on deepfake sexual crimes is ongoing until the end of this month. Starting in June, the scope of undercover investigations will expand to include crimes against adults.
Woo Jong-soo, the head of the National Investigation Agency, said, 'Drugs, phishing, illegal private finance, and deepfakes are serious social issues that must be addressed promptly, and we will continue to push for strong countermeasures.'