Kia Motors Gwangju Plant Employment Scam Causes 570 Million Won in Damages

Gwangju Police Expand Investigation
to Include Former Union Executive

Cases of fraud involving tens of millions of won being swindled under the pretense of employment at the Kia Motors Gwangju plant have continued to occur, prompting the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to merge and investigate the related cases.

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 27th that it has taken over all cases related to employment fraud at the Kia Motors Gwangju plant, which had previously been sporadically reported to local police stations.

Kia Motors Gwangju Plant Panorama.

So far, eight victims have been identified, with total damages amounting to 570 million won. The victims were deceived into handing over tens of millions of won after being promised employment at the Kia Motors Gwangju plant, but the promises were not kept and their money was not returned, leading them to file complaints with the police.

Of the eight victims, six have identified a former union executive who was active at the Kia Motors Gwangju plant in 2023 as the suspect. The remaining two have each accused different individuals of fraud. The police plan to determine the appropriate course of action for the accused after thoroughly investigating the circumstances.

Such employment fraud has occurred in the past as well. In 2020, a group was apprehended for swindling more than 13 billion won from over 630 victims by promising them jobs at the Kia Motors Gwangju plant. At that time, the main perpetrator, a man in his 30s, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on appeal.

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