By Choi Sung-jin
Forgery in Korea has more than doubled over the past two decades, and the number of counterfeiting crimes per population of 100,000 here is about 20 times higher than in Japan, a recent research shows.
Among major targets of falsification were currency notes and coins, stocks and bonds, stamps, documents and insignias of number plates and others, said the research paper titled "Characteristics of forgery crimes in Korea and countermeasures," published by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office.
According to the paper, there were 21,622 forgeries in Korea in 2014, more than double the 10,318 in 1995. The situation looks even more serious considering the numbers per 100,000 people, in which Korea's 43 cases in 2014 were 20.5 times higher than Japan's 2.1.
By the types of forgery, falsification of documents was the most common with its portion out of the total ranging from 70.9 percent (2002) to 63.9 percent (2012). Counterfeiting of currency peaked at 2012 (8,321 cases) and had fallen rapidly to 2,770 by 2014. The forgery of valuable securities stood at 803 cases that year.
"The increase in forgery is due to the wrist-slapping of offenders by law enforcement authorities and low public consciousness," said Kim Jung-ho who wrote the paper.
The indictment rate for forgery stood at 25.2 percent in Korea, far lower than the 38.1 percent for the average indictment rate of all crimes, and far lower than comparable rates in Japan, which ranged from 65.5 percent (2008) to 43.7 percent (2013).
Such a loose atmosphere was also reaffirmed in a survey of national consciousness about forgery.
According to the 2013 survey of 1,300 people aged 20 and older by the Korean Institute of Criminology quoted by this paper, the severity score for the counterfeiting of 10,000-won notes using color printers stood at 3.25 points in 2009, falling from 4.68 points in 1999. In this survey, a case of stealing goods worth 10,000 won from a supermarket stands at 1 point.
In other words, respondents in this survey regarded the counterfeiting of currency as a crime just 3.25 times more serious than stealing goods of the same value, which is considerably less grave than a decade before.
"In the country rankings of crimes of various types released by the World Health Organization in 2013, Korea topped the fraud category," Kim said, adding that chances are high that Korea may be taking the top spot in forgery, too.
"We can't help but conclude that the Korean people's norm of consciousness for public trust is far lower than that of the Japanese," he said. "Forgery should be far more harshly punished than it is currently because it is a crime committed not by momentary fury or extreme hunger but by careful calculation and planning for taking financial gains."
Forgery in Korea has more than doubled over the past two decades, and the number of counterfeiting crimes per population of 100,000 here is about 20 times higher than in Japan, a recent research shows.
Among major targets of falsification were currency notes and coins, stocks and bonds, stamps, documents and insignias of number plates and others, said the research paper titled "Characteristics of forgery crimes in Korea and countermeasures," published by the Supreme Prosecutor's Office.
According to the paper, there were 21,622 forgeries in Korea in 2014, more than double the 10,318 in 1995. The situation looks even more serious considering the numbers per 100,000 people, in which Korea's 43 cases in 2014 were 20.5 times higher than Japan's 2.1.
By the types of forgery, falsification of documents was the most common with its portion out of the total ranging from 70.9 percent (2002) to 63.9 percent (2012). Counterfeiting of currency peaked at 2012 (8,321 cases) and had fallen rapidly to 2,770 by 2014. The forgery of valuable securities stood at 803 cases that year.
"The increase in forgery is due to the wrist-slapping of offenders by law enforcement authorities and low public consciousness," said Kim Jung-ho who wrote the paper.
The indictment rate for forgery stood at 25.2 percent in Korea, far lower than the 38.1 percent for the average indictment rate of all crimes, and far lower than comparable rates in Japan, which ranged from 65.5 percent (2008) to 43.7 percent (2013).
Such a loose atmosphere was also reaffirmed in a survey of national consciousness about forgery.
According to the 2013 survey of 1,300 people aged 20 and older by the Korean Institute of Criminology quoted by this paper, the severity score for the counterfeiting of 10,000-won notes using color printers stood at 3.25 points in 2009, falling from 4.68 points in 1999. In this survey, a case of stealing goods worth 10,000 won from a supermarket stands at 1 point.
In other words, respondents in this survey regarded the counterfeiting of currency as a crime just 3.25 times more serious than stealing goods of the same value, which is considerably less grave than a decade before.
"In the country rankings of crimes of various types released by the World Health Organization in 2013, Korea topped the fraud category," Kim said, adding that chances are high that Korea may be taking the top spot in forgery, too.
"We can't help but conclude that the Korean people's norm of consciousness for public trust is far lower than that of the Japanese," he said. "Forgery should be far more harshly punished than it is currently because it is a crime committed not by momentary fury or extreme hunger but by careful calculation and planning for taking financial gains."
![[INTERVIEW] Ecolab helps Korean partners profit from ESG management](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/7a924189dbb7426ab12275ba98702309.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[ANALYSIS] Has N. Korean leader's daughter been confirmed as heir apparent?](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/e65868a1b5834cc3aef853378637d1fd.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8fb4b5d381da49df90276394550f2889.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Korea to work with US, Japan to fight climate change](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/800d9054a14b4a0f9cc576366cc1b914.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[REVIEW] Preview gala sets stage for grand premiere of 'La Rose de Versailles' musical](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7528d2924cd43c8a469cd46e6f56127.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
