A man in his 20s who was put on trial for handing an acquaintance who refused to join a fraud scheme over to a Cambodia voice phishing crime ring and confining the acquaintance for about 20 days had his sentence reduced on appeal.
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judges Kim Jong-ho, Lee Sang-joo, Lee Won-seok) on the 22nd sentenced a person surnamed Shin, who was indicted on charges including inducing overseas transfer, transferring the induced person overseas, and joint unlawful confinement, to eight years in prison.
In the first trial, the court handed down a 10-year prison term, higher than the prosecution's demand of nine years, but the sentence was reduced by two years on appeal. Accomplices a person surnamed Park and a person surnamed Kim, who were indicted together, received the same sentences as in the first trial: five years and three years and six months in prison, respectively.
The court said, "Shin, at the appeal stage, admitted to all the crimes and has shown remorse," and noted, "Consideration was given to efforts to make restitution, such as depositing 10 million won for the victim."
It then explained the reason for the reduction, saying, "Considering various sentencing factors, the degree of responsibility among the accomplices, and the balance of sentences, we found the first-trial sentence somewhat heavy and improper."
Shin and others are accused of handing person A, an acquaintance, over to a Cambodia voice phishing crime ring after A rejected a proposed import car-related fraud scheme, citing a loss of 65 million won in preparation costs.
They deceived A by saying, "We are pursuing a tourism business in Cambodia, and if you go there and just pick up the contract, we will eliminate your debt," and then had A leave the country before handing A over to local crime ring members, it was found.
In January last year, the crime ring confined A in a crime compound surrounded by 2–3-meter-high walls and took A's passport and mobile phone. It also turned out that they used an account in A's name for the crimes via smartphone banking.
When A's account was frozen, the crime ring allegedly showed a video of holders of shell accounts being tortured and threatened A by saying, "Tell your parents to send the money tied up in the account and the 'jang price' (the cost of obtaining a shell account)."
Park and others reportedly stayed in contact with local crime ring members through the Telegram messenger and demanded of A's parents, "If you send the money, we will release A from the crime compound."
A was confined for about 20 days at a Cambodia crime compound and at lodging facilities before being rescued with help from the Korean Embassy in Cambodia.
The case became known through a current affairs and culture program on a broadcasting network. A was offered, "If you stay in Cambodia for two weeks and return, we will reduce your debt," but was then confined and reportedly escaped just before being handed over to another place.
Earlier, in October last year, the first-trial court found Shin guilty of directing and leading the crimes, and found that Park and Kim conspired and participated.
The first trial said, "The defendants forced the victim to make an unfair repayment of debt, lured the victim overseas with lies, placed the victim under the de facto control of a crime ring, and confined the victim for a long period," and pointed out, "The nature of the crimes is very bad."
It continued, "If the victim had not been rescued in time, it is hard to gauge how much additional physical and mental suffering the victim would have endured."