Police Refer Large Group of Abandoned Motorcycle License Plate Traders in Seoul to Prosecution

A large group of individuals who stole or purchased license plates from abandoned motorcycles in Seoul and sold them have been referred to the prosecution.

On the 22nd, the Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul announced that it had sent four members of a license plate selling ring and twenty buyers to the prosecution without detention. They are facing charges including habitual theft, habitual fencing, abetting the transfer of stolen goods, violation of the Real Name Financial Transactions Act, and acquisition of stolen goods.

According to the police, between January and April of this year, these individuals are suspected of trading 29 license plates from motorcycles abandoned in parking lots and other locations throughout Seoul, conducting transactions across the country. The license plates were sold for prices ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 won each.

The investigation revealed that the selling ring divided roles among themselves to carry out the crimes. One person would steal the license plates, two others would recruit buyers by posting messages on social networking services such as "selling fake plates" (a slang term for stolen license plates), skillfully evading illegal post monitoring systems, and the remaining member would launder the proceeds through their financial account.

It is reported that, except for one, all nineteen buyers and all four members of the selling ring are minors.

A police official stated, "Trading motorcycle license plates makes it difficult to track violations of traffic laws or criminal offenses, so they can be used in additional crimes," adding, "We will continue to track down those involved in such transactions to prevent further crimes."

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