By Jung Min-ho
Police said Wednesday they have apprehended a travel agent who swindled more than 950 customers out of 1 billion won ($900,000).
Police said they have been questioning the 35-year-old agent surnamed Lim from Hana Tour, Korea’s largest travel company, on suspicion of absconding last week with the money from 953 people.
The agent, who ran Hana’s two sales shops in Goyang and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, used his personal bank account, instead of the company’s, to collect the money, according to police.
As a result, the customers’ travel plans have been ruined. Some found out about the fraud just a week before what was supposed to be the date of an exciting departure.
It is unclear whether they will be able to get all their money back from the suspect.
But after the issue came into the spotlight, Hana said it has decided to compensate them for their financial damage.
This is Hana’s latest major controversy. Last month, it made a public apology after sensitive information of 1 million of its customers was leaked online due to a cyberattack.