Minor Loan Fraud 'Parent Theory' Mastermind 'Kim Wang-gwan' Sentenced to Additional Prison Term During Incarceration

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The ringleader of the so-called 'Bumonron' scam gang, who deceived teenagers on social networking services (SNS) into stealing their parents' mobile phones and identification cards to embezzle hundreds of millions of won, has been sentenced to another prison term while already serving time.

On the 24th, according to the legal community, Judge Lee Wonjoong of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 19 sentenced the ringleader Choi (22) and accomplice Jang (22), who were indicted on charges including computer fraud, to six months in prison each.

Judge Lee reprimanded, "They deceived young people to obtain the victims' personal information and unlawfully input it into information processing devices to gain financial benefits. Considering the nature of the crime and the scale of the damage, the crime is serious. The victims have not been compensated."

He added, "I considered the fairness of sentencing when ruling on the confirmed crimes and this case simultaneously. I comprehensively reviewed the accomplices' sentences, as well as the defendant's age, conduct, environment, and other sentencing factors."

Choi, at the age of 19 in December 2019, posted advertisements on SNS under the alias 'Kim Wanggwan' with phrases such as "Minor urgent cash inquiries, required items, parents' mobile phone and ID," luring teenagers and then obtaining non-face-to-face loans or withdrawing account balances under their parents' names, leading to prosecution.

Investigations revealed that Choi used photos of parents' IDs and authentication numbers sent by victims to issue certified bank account certificates.

Choi and seven others committed fraud exceeding 700 million won against more than 20 victims using this method and have already been criminally punished. Previously, Choi was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 2 million won, and Jang received a three-year prison sentence last year, but they were additionally indicted on related charges and are now undergoing this first trial.

Meanwhile, Choi and Jang have appealed the first trial verdict.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.