[Anchor]
Around 40 gang members who allegedly formed a syndicate to succeed the notorious 1950s political gangster Lee Jeong-jae's so-called "Dongdaemun faction" and engaged in habitual group brawls were recently apprehended by the police. Police explained that these individuals are distinct from regular delinquents.
SBS Video Mug reporter Jo Gi-ho brings us the details.
[Reporter]
A group suddenly lines up in front of an elevator.
Wondering what kind of greeting they were performing with such synchronized rhythm,
[Bae Eun-chul / Head of Division 2, Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency: Taking the elevator? They don't just do it once. They do it four times. Because four senior members are riding.]
It turned out they were members of the so-called "Dongdaemun faction," bowing four times because four senior members got into the elevator.
Recruiting top middle and high school fighters since 2017 to expand their influence, they allied with friendly factions such as the Sanggye, Itaewon, and Eagles groups to engage in group brawls with rival syndicates. They turned first-birthday party banquet halls into formal suit runways, established voice phishing boot camps in Qingdao, China, and recently even opened investment-leading room offices.
Amidst such busy activities, they had strict codes of conduct to uphold.
Superiors must be called "senior," and you must append "as you say" to your responses!
In addition, members must get the syndicate's name tattooed—oh, and this member without tattoos joined just today, which is why he hasn't gotten it yet.
While they had to assign turns to visit and comfort imprisoned members, one particular phrase stands out prominently:
"We inherit the spirit of Lee Jeong-jae."
The Dongdaemun faction, led by prominent political gangster Lee Jeong-jae who was active in the 1950s and 1960s, was dismantled during the 1990 "War on Crime" before local delinquents regrouped in 1996 claiming to succeed them.
Now, as it has been proven that those who bowed four times in the elevator maintain a "continuous association" with the syndicate formed in 1996, a total of 40 individuals—including 21 members of the Dongdaemun faction and 19 members of allied violent groups—have been arrested on charges including violations of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts, etc.
[Bae Eun-chul / Head of Division 2, Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency: Usually, when kids with tattoos fight, or when such individuals engage in mutual assaults, extortion, and the like, they are often exposed in the media under the title of organized crime syndicates. But strictly speaking, that's not really the case. They are closer to general delinquents or petty thugs. How this case differs is that it carries profound significance because the existence of a criminal violent organization has been legally proven.]
In particular, investigations revealed that they lived together in communal housing, deployed like a screen to display their numbers during syndicate events, and operated an "emergency strike force" that mobilized immediately whenever conflicts arose with rival groups.
Proving that they were not mere delinquents but a criminal violent organization was a complex process that required 95 investigative records spanning approximately 25,000 pages.
[Bae Eun-chul / Head of Division 2, Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency: What is the significance of uncovering this? Once uncovered, simply joining the organization carries an enhanced sentence for them. They face extremely heavy punishment. Furthermore, why do they definitely do such things? It's about money, money. Then how do they make that money? It's all through illegal businesses. In the end, innocent citizens suffer. Therefore, people need to develop a sense of awareness about this.]
An invitation created to commemorate the 65th anniversary of political gangster Lee Jeong-jae's death.
However, even misspelling Lee Jeong-jae's name on the invite, who and what are they trying to follow?
No matter how young these MZ-generation mobsters might be, we can only hope that blind admiration and curiosity do not ruin not only the lives of others, but their own as well.
(Produced by Lee Se-mi | Video by Chae Ji-won | Design by Chae Ji-woo | Narration by Jo Gi-ho | Produced by Knowledge Contents IP Team)
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