"Can't Report It"... Bold Overseas Robbery Gang Raids Illegal Toto Office in China [Seocho-dong Legal Story]

Experience Working in Shenzhen, China
Convinced Acquaintances from Soccer Club for Robbery Trip
Realized Seriousness and Surrendered... "I Will Live a New Life"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"It's an illegal sports Toto office, so we can't even report it to the Chinese Public Security Bureau."

In June 2017, Mr. A (then 32 years old) said this at Mr. B's (32) house. Mr. A recalled his past experience working at an illegal sports Toto office in Shenzhen, China, introduced by his uncle who promised "you can make big money." At that time, the company kept a significant amount of cash in the office and also held customers' personal information. This was the background of the "China expedition special robbery case."

Afterward, a gang of seven members departed for China. Mr. C (30), a soccer club acquaintance whom Mr. B had enticed by saying, "I will give you 100 million won if successful," was also involved. Their "primary target" was to obtain customer information and directly deal with the company’s associates. They purchased five walkie-talkies in Korea and conducted a preliminary reconnaissance of the local office in China before committing the crime on July 18 of that year.

"Move and you'll be killed!" The gang raided the office the moment Mr. A's uncle opened the front door to throw out the trash. They quickly took control of the office by tying up the employees who were lying down using pre-prepared tape and bandages. They forced one employee to transfer 40 million won to the gang’s account and stole property worth a total of 30,935 yuan (approximately 5.17 million KRW), including three computers, laptops, six smartphones, and even a PlayStation 4 game console that was in the office.

After squandering a large portion of the stolen money, they belatedly realized the seriousness of their crime. Upon returning to Korea, they voluntarily appeared before the investigative authorities under Mr. B's leadership and confessed everything.

Except for other accomplices who were sentenced to 5 to 5.5 years in prison by a Chinese court, Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C were tried in a Korean court.

The first trial sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 2 years and 6 months to 3 years, stating that the crime method was very bold and dangerous. The first trial court noted, "Considering the number of victims and the scale of the damage, the nature of the crime is severe and the culpability is heavy," but also said, "The defendants who admitted all the crimes seem to reflect on their mistakes to some extent and voluntarily surrendered to the investigative authorities."

The three appealed the prison sentences. At the appeal trial closing hearing held on the 24th at the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Choi Suhwan), Mr. A and others pleaded for leniency, saying, "We want to live a new life."

The testimonies were somewhat conflicting. Mr. B’s side said, "We were tempted by Mr. A’s proposal but persuaded the defendants to confess immediately after returning to Korea." On the other hand, Mr. A’s side argued that "Since it was the company where his uncle worked, he only provided some information and did not lead the crime." The appeal verdict is scheduled for the 21st of next month.

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