Prosecutors Uncover the Truth Behind the Modern-Day Bongyi Kim Seondal Illegal Soil Broker Scam

Goyang Prosecution Office Uncovers Real Culprit in Illegal Landfill Broker Case
Suspect Caught Using Acquaintance After Crime Discovered During Probation Period

A soil broker who illegally dumped waste soil on state-owned land in the Goyang and Paju areas of Gyeonggi Province and earned high profits has been indicted while in custody.

This broker committed the crime again during a suspended sentence period for a similar offense. When discovered, he paid an acquaintance who introduced the land for soil dumping to falsely confess to the police as if acting alone. The full details of the case were revealed through the prosecution's investigation.

Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Goyang Branch. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Public and Corruption Division of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Goyang Branch (Chief Prosecutor Jo Eun-su) recently indicted soil dumping broker A on charges of violating the Development Restriction Zone Act and the Public Property Act, and indicted B, who impersonated the real culprit on A’s behalf, without detention on charges of violating the Development Restriction Zone Act and concealment of a criminal.

According to the prosecution, A, who had been operating as a soil dumping broker in the Goyang and Paju areas, was sentenced to a suspended prison term last April for illegally dumping soil on land owned by the Ministry of National Defense.

A took advantage of the fact that dumping soil rich in aggregate on privately owned land is easily detected and reported, and instead sought relatively less managed state-owned land to illegally dump waste soil and make money.

The Goyang and Paju areas generate large amounts of waste soil from numerous construction sites due to urban development. When processed through official disposal companies, costs are high, so excavation and dump truck companies frequently dump soil on land introduced by so-called 'brokers.'

Also, those like A who directly engage in illegal soil dumping often maintain that they are merely brokers connecting landowners and construction companies that need to dispose of waste soil, especially when caught, which is why they are called 'soil brokers.'

Two months after receiving a suspended sentence, in June last year, A, introduced by acquaintance B, illegally dumped about 4,500 tons of waste soil on approximately 6,900㎡ of land in Seongsadong, Goyang City, a planned road site and greenbelt area, earning about 10 million KRW in illegal profits within three days.

Considering that he was under a suspended sentence, A paid B 2 million KRW as a land introduction fee and as compensation for falsely confessing if the crime was discovered. This exploited the fact that first-time offenders of illegal soil dumping are usually fined if they promise to restore the land.

After the illegal dumping was reported by a nearby resident and discovered, B appeared at the police station and falsely confessed to acting alone. The Goyang Police Station investigated B for violating the Development Restriction Zone Act based on his confession and forwarded the case to the prosecution.

Prosecutor Kim Myung-seop (10th bar exam, currently at Gunsan Branch of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office), who was assigned the case, conducted an on-site inspection of the illegal dumping site and summoned B for questioning. The more he investigated, the more he suspected B was not the real culprit, as the site conditions and soil filling process did not match B’s statements.

Suspecting another real culprit, Prosecutor Kim obtained a search warrant and checked B’s bank transaction details and call records. During this process, he found records of B receiving 2 million KRW from A through a nominee account. He also confirmed that A received tens of millions of KRW from a construction company through his mistress’s account and used burner phones. It was also confirmed that A used most of the money earned from illegal soil dumping for gambling.

When Prosecutor Kim requested an arrest warrant for A, A avoided contact with the prosecution and eventually fled without attending the warrant hearing. Prosecutor Kim obtained a mobile phone base station communication warrant and arrested A, who was hiding somewhere in Goyang City, three days after the arrest warrant was issued.

Prosecutor Kim said, "While working at the Goyang branch for two years, I suspected that illegal soil brokers were making huge illegal profits, but this was the first time I confirmed it by checking nominee accounts."

He added, "They earned about 15 million KRW a month, and without any special skills, they could make big money just by telling someone 'dump the soil on this land.' It’s like a modern-day Bongyi Kim Seon-dal (a legendary Korean folk figure known for clever scams). Because it’s easy money if you don’t get caught, soil brokers seem unable to quit even after being caught."

Prosecutor Kim also said it was meaningful to confirm through this investigation that illegal soil dumping charges can lead to detention.

In particular, if A had been indicted without detention, it would have been difficult to get a final verdict before the suspended sentence period from the previous crime expired. However, since he was indicted while in custody, the previous suspended sentence is likely to be revoked, increasing the chance of imprisonment.

Prosecutor Kim said, "Since the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, cases where confessions made to the police are simply forwarded to the prosecution have increased, and the prosecution, being busy, often disposes of cases based on police confessions. It was rare to doubt confessions made to the police, but in this case, suspicion led to supplementary investigation, revealing a completely false confession and identifying the real culprit. This has been an opportunity to reflect on the current state of investigative agencies."

A prosecution official said, "Brokers dumping soil on state-owned land mainly operate in new towns, earning tens of millions of KRW illegally without much effort. Excavation companies are suspected of knowing this and turning a blind eye. We will continue to actively investigate such waste soil dumping cases and strictly respond by identifying those involved."

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