Police confirm identity of Chinese mastermind behind KT payment breach
The suspect behind the KT Corp. payment breach case is seen in this undated file photo. Yonhap
Police investigating the KT Corp. payment breach and micropayment scam said Monday they have identified the mastermind behind the crime, known as a Chinese national of Korean ethnicity.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it has asked Interpol for cooperation in a manhunt for the Chinese suspect currently residing in China.
He is known to have orchestrated the hacking of KT mobile users in the Seoul metropolitan area between August and September to make illegal small transactions, such as purchasing gift certificates. So far, about 220 victims have reported combined damage worth 140 million won ($95,300).
He is accused of having instructed another Chinese national to use an illegal portable base station to breach the phones of KT users. The co-conspirator arrested in mid-September told police that he took part in the scheme in exchange for 5 million won from the mastermind. Police have so far apprehended 13 people, mostly South Korean nationals, in connection with the KT payment breach case and put five of them under arrest.
Despite the confirmation of the mastermind's identity, however, police are expected to face many difficulties before his apprehension and extradition, due to the unclear prospects for cooperation from China's security authorities.