"To Become a Nationwide Gangster" 66 Members of MZ Gang Alliance Arrested

The Chungnam Police arrested 66 members of the MZ gang alliance called ‘Jeongukhoe’ and confiscated and preserved criminal proceeds amounting to 57 million won before prosecution.

The Violent Crime Investigation Unit of the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency (hereinafter Chungnam Police) announced on the 18th that they arrested 32 members of the A faction violent organization in the Chungnam area and 34 MZ gang members who formed the nationwide gang alliance ‘Jeongukhoe’ born in 2002, detaining 8 key participants.

According to Chungnam Police, the A faction operated as a violent organization in the Nonsan area of Chungnam from June 2019 to May 2023, recruiting 21 MZ members as new recruits and deploying them as action squad members of the violent group.

Additionally, from August 2022 to February last year, they operated an online gambling site worth 22 billion won, and in September 2022, 10 members of the A faction illegally detained and collectively assaulted members of another regional organization who sold forged bank accounts.

In particular, the A faction participated in the emerging violent organization ‘Jeongukhoe,’ formed in December 2022 in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, which united 2002-born members from 21 violent organizations nationwide, and is suspected of committing violence against rival organization members involved in disputes during this process.

During the formation of Jeongukhoe, MZ gang members shared the phrase “To become a nationwide gangster, you must have a wide network,” establishing communication systems via SNS and forming peer gang meetings, according to investigation results.

Chungnam Police received intelligence that 10 MZ gang members who joined the A faction, under the orders of senior members, detained and assaulted members of the B faction in the Jeonbuk region at a motel, prompting an investigation.

During the investigation, Chungnam Police confirmed the A faction’s code of conduct and command structure, and found that they recently recruited a large number of new MZ generation members in their 20s and 30s, regularly holding gatherings such as unity meetings.

Members of the MZ gang alliance 'Jeongukhoe' are gathered at a pub taking a group photo. Photo by Chungnam Provincial Police Agency

Above all, Chungnam Police emphasized that Jeongukhoe, which includes the A faction, differs from traditional violent organizations by calling decision-makers ‘president’ instead of ‘boss,’ funding operations through membership fees paid by members, and flaunting their power by sharing crimes such as illegal gambling site operations and forged bank account distribution on SNS.

Currently, Chungnam Police are investigating the Jeongukhoe, including the A faction, on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts, etc. (formation and activities of groups) based on the fact that they organized for crimes involving violence without a clear code of conduct or command structure and have been operating as an emerging criminal group.

A Chungnam Police official stated, “We will thoroughly investigate organized violent crimes that have caused social unrest and strictly respond by dismantling the 21 violent organizations and their backing groups directly involved in Jeongukhoe’s crimes,” and added, “We ask citizens who have suffered damages or witnessed criminal acts to actively report them.”

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