"I will track it down for you to the end of the world," goes an Internet advertisement by a "simbureum center." But the Korean version of these private express courier service companies turn out to be doing more than fetching and delivering documents for its clients, said the local newspaper, Chosun llbo.
The unusual list of tasks these simbureum centers do was revealed when police busted one of them, run by a 58-year-old Choi and his four co-workers, on charges of colluding with local government employees and credit verification company workers for mishandling of personal information of citizens.
Choi, who has been in the business for 20 years, has earned 1 billion won in the last two years, an amount impossible to make simply delivering parcels.
His secret of business success includes installing listening devices on a car his clients asked them so as to find out extra marital affairs or business secrets.
He also paid local government officials who deal with people's personal data, such as marital status, income and wealth status. He also showed employees at credit verification companies with cash to dig out various personal information requested by his clients.
Private companies such as one run by Choi even do kidnapping and blackmailing as part of their "service" which costs 3 million won as a starting fee, it said.
There are about 2,000 to 3,000 simbureum centers across the nation, the newspaper said.
"It's illegal for courier service centers to do trailing, eavesdropping, extracting personal information," a police officer told the newspaper.
The private business nonetheless thrives by taking advantage of the legal loopholes that allow anyone to register as "self-employed" and sets up this kind of courier center and actually works as a private eye, often involving illegal activities, the newspaper said.