{"id":777033733,"date":"2025-10-28T07:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T10:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777033733"},"modified":"2026-04-21T17:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:46:32","slug":"jeju-police-dismantle-illegal-gambling-network-arrest-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/jeju-police-dismantle-illegal-gambling-network-arrest-21","title":{"rendered":"Jeju police make 21 arrests in operation against illegal gambling network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From October 2024 to July 2025, the operation reportedly handled around KRW9.2bn (US$6.4m) in wagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

South Korea.- The Jeju Provincial Police Agency<\/strong> has made 21 arrests in an operation against an illegal gambling business on Jeju Island<\/strong>. Officers seized approximately KRW250m<\/strong> (US$173.8m) in allegedly illicit funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to authorities, a gambling network converted two adult PC cafes and a villa<\/strong> in Jeju City<\/strong> into gambling venues and targeted teenagers and seafarers. From October 2024 to July 2025<\/strong>, the operation reportedly handled around KRW9.2bn <\/strong>(US$6.4m) in wagers. The group is said to have also operated a small-scale loan business, lending money to high school students at interest rates of up to 650 per cent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 21 suspects arrested, six, including the alleged ring leader, have been formally charged, while 15 were released pending further investigation. Some 39 other people, including minors and gamblers were later released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police say they uncovered other gambling venues operating on Jeju Island with similar modus operandi. One reportedly operated near Halim Port<\/strong> from June 2024 to February 2025<\/strong>, and specifically targeted sailors, while another group used cafes and villas and were said to have accepted luxury handbags as collateral for usurious loans. Investigators believe that the online gambling operation is run by a transnational syndicate, masterminded by someone based in Vietnam<\/strong> or elsewhere in Southeast Asia<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, president Lee Jae Myung<\/strong> ordered a crackdown on transnational crime<\/a>, including online gambling, scams and drug trafficking. The president vowed to strengthen international cooperation to combat the illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> PAGCOR revenue almost halves after e-wallet unlinking for online gambling<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From October 2024 to July 2025, the operation reportedly handled around KRW9.2bn (US$6.4m) in wagers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":777033735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Jeju Provincial Police Agency has arrested 21 individuals involved in an illegal gambling operation on Jeju Island, which processed KRW9.2bn (US$6.4m) in wagers and targeted minors and seafarers. This syndicate, suspected of transnational origins and also engaging in usurious lending, aligns with President Lee Jae Myung's recent directive to intensify crackdowns on transnational online gambling and related illicit activities. Authorities seized KRW250m (US$173.8m) in illicit funds, highlighting significant regulatory and financial crime implications.","focusai_entities":"Jeju Provincial Police Agency, Lee Jae Myung, PAGCOR","focusai_location":"South Korea, Jeju Island, Jeju City, Halim Port, Vietnam, Southeast Asia","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (0.8), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Transnational Syndicate Impact","query":"What specific measures are South Korean authorities implementing to dismantle the transnational syndicate believed to be masterminding these illegal operations from Southeast Asia, and what are the implications for regional regulatory cooperation?"},{"label":"Regulatory Enforcement Efficacy","query":"How will the intensified crackdown ordered by President Lee Jae Myung on online gambling and transnational crime impact the broader regulatory landscape for both legal and illegal gambling operations in South Korea, and what metrics will define its success?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16338,154],"tags":[20326,4138,152],"class_list":["post-777033733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-asia-news","category-legislation-news","tag-illegal-gambling","tag-online-gambling","tag-south-korea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777033733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777033733"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777033733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777033742,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777033733\/revisions\/777033742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777033735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777033733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777033733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777033733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}