SEOUL, Aug 9 (Bernama-Yonhap): South Korea's national police said Sunday they will launch a nationwide crackdown on organised crime and international transgressions in the new week, with a focus on young gangsters turning to fraud and money laundering, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said its special operations will begin Monday and run through Oct 31. It will target high-yield financial crimes, such as organised fraud, illegal private lending, online gambling operations and money laundering.
The KNPA also plans to crack down on criminals flaunting their illicit wealth online to generate public fear, while also looking to freeze criminal proceeds to cut off funding sources.
On the international side, the KNPA said it will target drug trafficking, with a particular focus on synthetic drugs like ketamine, and organised crimes involving foreign nationals. The KNPA plans to intensify its intelligence gathering around foreign communities and their workplaces, plus nightlife districts.
This crackdown comes on the heels of a marked increase in organised crime and international offences in the first half of this year.
Between March 9 and June 30, police apprehended 1,185 gang members and arrested 225 -- a jump of 9.7 per cent and 48.3 per cent from the previous roundup, respectively.
Those in their 30s or younger accounted for 63.6 per cent of the apprehended suspects, and fraud had the largest share of their offences at 42.7 per cent.
Over four months in the first half of this year, police apprehended 641 people and detained 133. The overall number of foreign nationals booked by police in the year's first half rose 9.1 per cent from a year ago to 18,130. There was a 29 per cent surge in drug-related crimes.
"In close cooperation with relevant authorities, we will continue to crack down on organised and international crimes and strengthen our intelligence gathering," the KNPA said.
-- BERNAMA-YONHAP
