Cracking Down on Foreign Gangs

Police and prosecutors have begun a joint investigation headquarters to crack down on foreign crime rackets operating in Korea.

According to police and prosecutors, foreign crime has increased six-fold since 2000, rising from 3,438 cases in 2000 to 20,623 last year. Jo Yeong-gon, the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ drug crimes division, was named head of the headquarters, while regional offices have been opened up at district prosecutor offices in nine areas.

The Weekly Dong-A ran a story this week on the proliferation of foreign criminal gangs in Korea. According to investigators, there are believed to be about 4,600 foreign gangsters belonging to 65 gangs from 14 countries operating in Korea, almost equal to Korea’s home-grown gangster population of about 5,500 individuals belonging to 200 gangs.

There is also a shift from “traditional” foreign gangs such as the Yakuza and Russian Mafia to newer gangs from China and Southeast Asia. Investigatorial officials told the Weekly Dong-A that Joseon-jok, Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai gangs were “frighteningly” expanding their power in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. These gangs set up shop as nationals from those countries began to settle in Korea from around 2000. Initially, the gangs concentrated on extorting money and valuables from their compatriots, but are now expanding their realm of business to include gambling, entertainment, prostitution, human trafficking, drug smuggling and credit card fraud.

In order to secure their operations and expand profits, foreign gangs are reportedly linking up with local gangs, says the Weekly Dong-A.

Joseon-jok Gangs

Joseon-jok gangs — mostly composed of Heuksa-pa gang members from the Chinese northeast — are apparently gaining the most ground. Investigators think there are about 2,000 Joseon-jok gangsters from 16 organizations operating in Korea. After entering Seoul’s Garibong-dong area — home to lots of Joseon-jok — in 1998, the gangs fought a turf war that resulted in the victory of the “Yanbian” gang. Come 2000, however, they were displaced by the Heilongjiang gang, who in turn were beaten again by a reconstituted Yanbian faction in 2004. They are now active in Joseon-jok neighborhoods in 20 areas.

The Yanbian Heuksa-pa gang is noted for its organization. One gangster said they have orally transmitted guidelines, such as pay scales for cutting off arms and legs (2.5 million to 5 million won) and killing (10 million won). Shockingly enough, they make most of their money off gambling, particularly through mahjong parlors, which they take protection money from and at which they offer high-interest loans to Joseon-jok gamblers. They’ve also expanded into casinos, game rooms, smuggling Chinese foodstuffs and drug running. They’ve also been active on the prostitution front, particularly at so-called “dabang hof” and “coffee hof” in Joseon-jok neighborhoods. Most of their prostitution targets Joseon-jok, but they also service Koreans in Seoul suburbs like Yongin and Gwangju.

Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai Gangs

Chinese gangs in Korea, meanwhile, are made up of gangsters who smuggle themselves into Korea after committing violent crimes in China. These guys are centered mostly in Ansan, and are spreading out to Seoul’s Garibong-dong and Daerim-dong. They like to squeeze protection money out of fellow Chinese, particularly illegal immigrants, usually about 200,000-300,000 won a month. Don’t pay up, and you get kidnapped or assaulted. They also show great enthusiasm for illegal gambling.

Vietnamese gangs are a fast-rising force that now rival the Joseon-jok gangs. The so-called Hanoi-pa, composed mostly of gangsters from northern Vietnam, illegal Vietnamese immigrants and Vietnamese laborers, appears to be the leader. Focusing mostly on illegal gambling near industrial zones nationwide, the gang currently operates about 200 cells. Police believe there to be about 700-800 members, with many more if you include illegal immigrant collaborators and so forth. In addition to gambling, they also engage in loan sharking, kidnapping and prostitution. They loan gamblers money at 500% interest, and if you don’t pay up, you get kidnapped or your family in Vietnam gets threatened.

There’s a clear organization to the Vietnamese gangs. Each cell has about 1-3 women, too — they either lure Vietnamese men to gambling halls or engage in prostitution.

Filipino gangs are also gaining strength. Originally coming to extort money from Filipino laborers, they’ve now moved into illegal gambling. Ansan is their bastion, but they’re expanding elsewhere, too. Like other gangs, they loan gambling money at high interest — rumor has it, says the Weekly Dong-A, that they maim you if you can’t pay up.

Then there are the Thai gangs, which specialize in smuggling Thai women into Korea — mostly through fake marriages with Korean men — so that they can work in massage parlors. Their base of operations is Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, but they are expanding business to Ansan, Anyang and elsewhere.

One Bengali gang, meanwhile, is not only working with local gangs, but has also adopted their activities, lifestyles, etiquette and command structure, with 20 gangsters living together and 90-degree bows to superiors. They operate in Bengali neighborhoods in Suwon, Ansan, Namyangju, Pocheon and Ilsan.

Finally, you have gangs from former Soviet states like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as well as Pakistani and Nigerian gangs. These guys prefer hanging out in rural and outlying areas, and focus their love on co-nationals and Korean companies. Investigators are apparently having a tough time with foreign gangs — destroy one, and two or three pop up like poison mushrooms.