A group that committed romance scam crimes against Koreans in a Myanmar crime compound under the direction of a Chinese ringleader has been sent to trial.
The Joint Investigation Division for Voice Phishing Crimes at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said on the 11th that it booked nine members of a romance scam ring that operated out of Myanmar's "KK Park" starting last year and indicted five of them under detention. It also indicted three members without detention and is tracking one person for whom an arrest warrant was issued.
They are accused of carrying out romance scams from December 2023 to January last year under orders from a Chinese ringleader known as "President Wengu" (charges: joining and engaging in a criminal organization).
The joint unit opened an investigation in June last year after receiving a tip. In the process, it questioned A, a domestic money laundering operative, and exposed the criminal organization that had nearly been buried in a police investigation.
Around the same time, police had separately arrested and were questioning B, who worked as a recruiter in Myanmar. However, there was no progress because B refused to testify regarding the romance scam. The joint unit found a letter from B among A's seized items stating "I refused to testify about Myanmar," then arrested the remaining accomplices and confirmed suspicions that they had coordinated their statements in advance.
KK Park, where the group operated, is an area in Myanmar crowded with casinos, entertainment venues, and online scam centers. It was also the site of a raid and sweep operation by Myanmar's military in Oct. last year.
The joint unit said a pattern has emerged in which members learn methods and structures of crime in overseas voice phishing organizations, then enter Korea to work as money launderers. It also identified that participation methods in voice phishing crimes are evolving, with new money laundering tactics becoming commonplace.
The joint unit said, "We will continue investigating additional accomplices who have entered the Myanmar criminal organization," adding, "We will keep working closely with the pan-government task force for special response to transnational crimes."