Blog photos lead to arrest of gangs

By Kim Tae-jong

Ideally criminal gangs hope to leave a crime scene without leaving any trace or clue behind. Contradicting this, a group of Internet-savvy gang members posted group photos on their blog, providing a decisive lead for the police to arrest them.

Geumjeong Police in Busan Thursday said they arrested seven gang members and booked 30 others without physical detention on charges of violence and other illegal practices. They are now on the hunt for another four on the run.

The roundup of the gang members was possible as the police could identify the guilty parties from the gangs’ blog where they post pictures of themselves, a police officer said.

The gang members posted photos they took at a school grounds and on a beach on their mini-homepage.

According to the police, the suspects formed the gang, named “Gijang Youth Club,” in 2009 and ran illegal job centers in the port city which supplied female workers to red-light districts. They also face charges of threatening behavior, extortion and assault charges.