Voice Phishing Organization 'Minjunpa' Boss Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison...Longest Sentence Ever Imposed

560 Victims, 10.8 Billion Won Embezzled

The leader of the voice phishing organization ‘Minjunpa,’ which operated based in the Philippines and defrauded approximately 10.8 billion KRW from 560 people, has been sentenced to the longest prison term ever of 35 years.

Minjunpa Organization Chart. [Photo provided by the Government Joint Investigation Team on Voice Phishing Crimes]

On the 5th, the Joint Government Investigation Team for Voice Phishing Crimes (Chief Kim Soo-min) announced that the leader A (37 years old), who was arrested and forcibly repatriated from the Philippines, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and fined 2 billion KRW, and the deputy leader B (31 years old) was sentenced to 27 years in prison and fined 300 million KRW. The previous longest sentence for a voice phishing leader was 20 years in prison.

The investigation team changed the charge from simple fraud to violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud), which carries a heavier penalty, after legal review. They also revealed that the criminal proceeds were received through proxy accounts and concealed, leading to additional charges of violating the Act on the Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds.

They conspired around 2017 to organize a voice phishing crime group and set up offices in Metro Manila, Philippines. The call center was divided into about 10 teams competing for performance, with a hierarchical structure consisting of the leader, deputy leader, team leaders, and team members. About 60 members of the organization deceived 560 domestic victims from December 2017 to December 2021 by promising ‘low-interest refinancing loans,’ defrauding approximately 10.8 billion KRW.

Currently, 40 members of the Minjunpa organization have been arrested, 23 have been convicted, 13 are undergoing trial, and 4 are under investigation. Arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining members overseas, and they are wanted.

The investigation team stated, “We will continue to thoroughly investigate voice phishing criminals who cause great suffering to ordinary citizens, protect the property of our people from voice phishing crimes, and do our best to ensure that severe sentences corresponding to the crimes are imposed.”

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