"Telling Jo Guk I'll Take Care of It"… 40s Man Sentenced for Million-Won Fraud Boasting Friendship

Seoul Central District Court / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A man in his 40s who impersonated an active-duty South Korean military officer and embezzled hundreds of millions of won by borrowing names of ruling party figures was sentenced to prison.

On the 21st, according to the legal community, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-1 (Presiding Judge Sunhee Kim) sentenced Lee (47), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (fraud), to two years in prison. The court stated, "The victim suffered psychological distress due to the defendant's deceptive acts," and "Considering the extent of the damage, the nature of the crime cannot be viewed lightly."

Lee is accused of impersonating a colonel of the Military Security Command of the Republic of Korea Army, a graduate of the Korea Military Academy, from October 2017 to February 2019, and receiving over 900 million won from the victim on multiple occasions under the pretext of activity expenses. During this process, Lee falsely claimed close ties with former Presidential Chief of Staff Jong-seok Im, former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Guk Jo, and former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Byung-do Han, deceiving the victim by promising to embezzle military funds and return several times the amount. However, it was revealed that he had no actual relationship with these ruling party figures he cited.

Under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, fraud can be punished by up to 22 years and 6 months in prison. However, the court significantly reduced the sentence considering that Lee recovered a substantial portion of the damages. The court ruled, "The defendant confessed to the crime and is remorseful, and considering that he compensated 830 million won out of the 915 million won in damages, these are favorable circumstances."

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