It emerged on the 23rd that nearly a week after the government began cracking down on online ads luring people to join Southeast Asian crime groups, illegal overseas recruiting ads were still being posted on internet boards.
On the "Product Q&A" board of a local livestock cooperative's website, about 100 job ads containing the phrase "high income" were posted on the 22nd alone. The posts said the workplace was "the Bangkok metropolitan area" and that "an average of 8–20 million won per month" could be earned for "entry-level" positions. Phrases such as "full support for round-trip tickets," "room and board provided," "possible to join with a companion," and "best treatment in the industry" were also included. A Telegram ID was attached at the bottom for detailed guidance. Access to the board was blocked only on the 23rd.
However, there were still plenty of boards where illegal overseas recruiting ads were being posted on the 23rd. These were mainly the "A/S request," "product reviews," and "free board" sections of websites for small and midsize electrical and electronics companies, design firms, local internet outlets, small and midsize frame makers, and traditional food manufacturers.
Sixty-four Koreans recently repatriated from Cambodia were said to have been lured by such bait posts and are under investigation on suspicion of being involved with local voice phishing crime rings. Illegal recruiting ads touting "high-income part-time jobs," among others, become a conduit to criminal involvement. In response, President Lee Jae-myung on the 17th ordered, "Urgently delete illegal recruiting ads targeting not only Cambodia but all of Southeast Asia."
Even so, blind spots are arising in the crackdown because the government is mainly monitoring major portals such as Naver and Daum and major hiring platforms such as JobKorea, Saramin, and Incruit. Most of the boards where illegal overseas recruiting ads continue to be posted after the government's crackdown are dormant boards that remain open but are not actually operated. A government official said, "There are limits to the government inspecting and cracking down on general websites one by one," adding, "It is up to corporations to choose which channel to use for hiring, and it could easily spill into a censorship controversy."
Those posting the ads also appear to be using techniques to evade enforcement. Instead of the term "TM (telemarketing)" commonly used by voice phishing firms, they write it as "ㅌㅣ앰" or "(ti) (em)." They also use "image files" that cannot be text-searched. A government official said, "It's intended to prevent illegal overseas recruiting ads from being detected by search methods."