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Lee vows to crack down on transnational crimes, scalping

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that he will crack down on transnational crimes, including voice phishing targeting Koreans, and scalping. He made the remarks while sharing a video of a joint operation in Kazakhstan that arrested members of a scam ring. Lee also said illicit profits from scalping will be confiscated.


Key Facts

  • Lee shared a video showing the arrest of members of a scam ring hiding in Kazakhstan in a joint operation with the local government.
  • The Korean National Police Agency said investigators from a governmentwide special task force on transnational crimes apprehended 14 members of the Korean scam ring in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on July 23.
  • Lee thanked Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Kazakh authorities for their cooperation in busting the large-scale voice phishing ring.
  • The president also shared a news report about the arrest of a scalper who had made several billion won by reselling tickets to idol performances, concerts by foreign artists and sporting events at inflated prices.
  • Lee said all illicit profits from scalping will be confiscated and warned that such unfair gains will bring a far heavier price.
By Yonhap
  • Published Sep 17, 2026 11:28 am KST
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit at a hotel in Seoul, Wednesday, with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attending. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit at a hotel in Seoul, Wednesday, with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attending. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that he will root out transnational crimes, including voice phishing targeting Koreans.

Lee made the remarks on social media while sharing a video showing the arrest of members of a scam ring hiding in Kazakhstan in a joint operation with the local government.

"The notion that one can avoid capture by staying abroad must now be abandoned," Lee said, adding that anyone who commits crimes against Koreans will be thoroughly tracked down and punished, no matter where in the world they are hiding.

Lee expressed gratitude to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Kazakh authorities for their active cooperation in busting the large-scale voice phishing ring.

The Korean National Police Agency announced on Aug. 5 that investigators from a governmentwide special task force on transnational crimes apprehended 14 members of the Korean scam ring in the joint operation in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on July 23.

Lee also vowed to crack down on scalpers, while sharing a news report about the arrest of a scalper who had made several billion won by purchasing tickets to idol performances, concerts by foreign artists and sporting events and then reselling them at inflated prices.

"We will thoroughly crack down on scalping crimes that deprive people of fair opportunities to attend events and ensure that all illicit profits are confiscated," the president said, vowing to demonstrate that reaping unfair profits through scalping would inevitably lead to paying a far heavier price.

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