Seoul, Jan 25 (IANS) Prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for 72 of the 73 South Korean suspects repatriated from Cambodia over their alleged involvement in online scam operations, officials said Sunday.
The National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation said the arrest warrants were requested for all but one suspect, whose alleged offenses were deemed too minor, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The move comes a day after police requested arrest warrants for all 73 suspects, who had been detained in Cambodia and brought home Friday on a chartered flight to face investigation. It marked the nation’s largest repatriation of criminal suspects from a single country.
The suspects are accused of swindling a combined 48.6 billion won (US$33.1 million) from 869 South Korean victims.
Of the 72 suspects, a court granted an arrest warrant for one individual over allegedly siphoning off 19.4 billion won from 229 people by impersonating a global financial company at a Cambodia-based call center until July last year.
In addition, 54 suspects, including 49 allegedly involved in no-show scams, were scheduled to attend warrant hearings later Sunday, while 17 others charged with romance scams were set to appear at warrant hearings on Monday.
On January 22, Lee Jae Myung instructed senior aids to take stern measures against transnational crimes targeting South Korean nationals, vowing to safeguard the safety of people against online scam rings at home and abroad.
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with his senior aids as 73 South Korean nationals detained in Cambodia over alleged scam crimes were being brought home for investigation.
“Transnational crimes not only destroy individual lives and undermine trust within our society but can also cause diplomatic friction. They are highly malicious and threatening crimes,” Lee said.
“Measures should be taken to clearly demonstrate that transnational crimes that threaten public safety and undermine people’s livelihoods will be punished without exception, whether committed at home or abroad,” he added.
Lee called on authorities to ensure that crimes targeting South Korean nationals result in consequences that clearly outweigh any potential gains and urged close cooperation with foreign countries to confiscate criminal proceeds concealed overseas.
He also called for government support for businesses to minimize confusion and unintended side effects stemming from the full implementation of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Basic Act, which took effect earlier in the day.
“AI has already emerged as a key driving force that is fundamentally reshaping society and our daily lives beyond the economic sphere, which requires policy support and efforts to proactively manage foreseeable side effects,” he said.
Lee stressed the need for comprehensive support for venture firms and startups to help them adapt to the new system without stifling innovation, and called for policy implementation in a “reasonable and transparent” manner.
–IANS
akl/rs
