A branch manager at a Saemaul Geumgo (Korean Credit Union) in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has been caught embezzling tens of millions of won in cash.
It was discovered that the manager had replaced the stolen cash with fake toy money inside the vault.
According to the police, 70 million won in cash was illicitly withdrawn and went missing from a Saemaul Geumgo branch in Gyeongju this past January.
The perpetrator was identified as 'A,' a branch manager-level employee responsible for managing the office.
A avoided detection by filling the gaps with fake 50,000-won bills purchased online.
Although the fake bills even featured cartoon characters, A exploited the fact that it was a small branch with only two employees—the branch manager and a section chief—to avoid suspicion.
While A's crime was brought to an end after a colleague who noticed something suspicious reported it, the Saemaul Geumgo did not immediately report the incident to investigative authorities, focusing instead on an internal investigation.
Ultimately, A was investigated by the police only after turning himself in 15 days after the incident occurred, and recently received a summary indictment from the court.
In response, a Saemaul Geumgo official stated, "We immediately dismissed A, and the matter has been resolved as the stolen funds have been reimbursed."
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