[Exclusive] Gangryeoktong Kim Hosam Appointed Head of 'Voice Phishing Joint Task Force'

Expert in Voice Phishing Investigations with Experience as Head of Violent Crimes at Gwangju, Incheon, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Offices
Kim Young-joo, Former Head of Voice Phishing Crime Recovery Team at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, Appointed as Team 1 Leader

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Kim Ho-sam, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office (age 55, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 31), has been appointed as the head of the "Voice Phishing Crime Government Joint Investigation Unit," launched to prevent the increasing damage caused by voice phishing crimes every year.

According to the legal community on the 11th, the Ministry of Justice recently appointed Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Ho-sam, a prominent violent crime specialist within the prosecution, as the head of the joint investigation unit, which involves cooperation among the prosecution, police, and related agencies.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Ho-sam is known as a violent crime specialist within the prosecution, having served as head of the violent crime division at the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Voice phishing crimes were originally a major investigative area for the prosecution, but after the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, investigations were directly handed over to the police, and the prosecution has focused only on maintaining prosecutions over the past five years.

Entrusting the joint investigation unit to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Ho-sam, who has extensive experience in violent crime investigations, is interpreted as the prosecution's strong determination to strictly punish voice phishing crimes. Kim Ho-sam has rich experience investigating voice phishing crimes while leading violent crime investigations at three different prosecutors' offices.

A prosecution official said, "Being the head of the violent crime division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office means he was evaluated as the best at violent crime investigations in his class," adding, "It seems the right person with a passion for violent crime investigations has been appointed as the head of the joint investigation unit."

Kim Young-joo, Deputy Chief Prosecutor (age 46, class 37), was appointed as the head of Team 1 of the Voice Phishing Joint Investigation Unit. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-joo, affiliated with the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office Trial Division 1, is known to have achieved significant results in the voice phishing crime fund recovery team, which was reflected in this personnel appointment.

Since the first reported case of voice phishing damage in South Korea in 2006, despite various measures and continuous crackdowns by government and private institutions over the past 16 years, the damage has continued to increase.

The joint investigation unit will be established at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, with all related agencies including the prosecution, police, Financial Supervisory Service, Financial Services Commission, and Korea Communications Commission cooperating to mobilize nationwide capabilities for a large-scale joint crackdown.

The joint investigation unit will be composed of 5 to 6 prosecutor offices centered around a senior prosecutor-level head, and plans to operate police investigation teams and financial investigation cooperation teams. Currently, due to the adjustment of investigative authority, the prosecution can only investigate voice phishing crimes involving damages of 500 million KRW or more or cases directly related to police referrals.

Therefore, in cases such as the main organizers of voice phishing related to cash collectors referred by the police, senior organizational members' additional crimes, organizations distributing fake bank accounts and phones, and organizations smuggling victim funds overseas, direct investigation by the prosecution is impossible unless direct relevance to referred cases is recognized. Hence, joint investigations with the police, who have no restrictions on the scope of investigation initiation, are essential.

The prosecution will perform roles such as joint or direct investigations with police investigation teams during the investigation stage, rapid processing of search and seizure warrants, prosecution and maintenance of referred cases, and requests for international cooperative investigations.

The prosecution plans to thoroughly investigate from the lowest-level cash collectors and providers of fake bank accounts to the highest-level organizational masterminds, actively applying charges not only for fraud but also for criminal organization formation and activities, aiming to secure heavy sentences. Additionally, they will ensure thorough investigations into overseas transfer of victim funds and tax evasion, as well as recovery of criminal proceeds. Alongside this, measures such as victim compensation, administrative sanctions against telecommunications companies, and dissolution of shell corporations will be concurrently implemented.

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