〈Anchor〉
There is a case that has been dubbed the "second Jeon Cheong-jo." It involves a man in his 20s who posed as a wealthy woman to commit luxury goods fraud, which came to light through our exclusive report last May. At the time of the report, the man was already in prison for another fraud case, but after being released on probation, he went into hiding, prompting police to launch a manhunt.
First, we have an exclusive report from reporter Kim Gyu-ri.
〈Reporter Kim Gyu-ri〉
A man in his 20s, surnamed Park, promoted himself on social media as a wealthy female influencer and advertised that he was selling luxury goods at bargain prices.
Lured by prices set at one-tenth of the market value, victims sent money, but reports poured in that they had not received the items even after two years.
[SBS 8 News (May 11): This woman, who flaunted her wealth by showcasing high-end officetels and supercars, turned out to be a man in his 20s. Victims pointed out that the case is strikingly similar to the past Jeon Cheong-jo case.]
In this case, brought to light by SBS's exclusive report last May, the number of confirmed victims has reached about 50, with the total damage amounting to 4.5 billion won.
At the time of the report, Park was incarcerated in a detention center for a fraud crime in which he signed a contract to take over the cafe where he worked but failed to pay over 100 million won in dues.
[Cafe Employee: We couldn't get in touch with him either, so we thought he was sick. Turns out that wasn't the case.]
Police investigating the "second Jeon Cheong-jo case" proved the charges through visits to the detention center and forwarded part of the case to the prosecution in early July.
The problem began on July 16, when Park was released after receiving a suspended sentence in an appellate trial for his previous fraud case.
Police had applied for an arrest warrant for Park on charges of luxury goods fraud, but Park went into hiding ahead of his pre-trial detention hearing scheduled for August 18.
Although the arrest warrant was issued during a review proceeding held without the defendant present, Park had already vanished.
Regarding suspicions over why they did not rush to secure his custody, police explained that Park had been cooperative after his release, appearing for summons investigations accompanied by a lawyer, and that he had admitted to the charges while expressing an intent to compensate the victims.
The police, who belatedly embarked on a manhunt, placed a travel ban on Park and issued a nationwide wanted poster yesterday (the 9th).
(Video Editing: Lim Yeojin, VJ: Jaemin, Design: Kang Yun-jung)
---
〈Anchor〉
Distressed upon hearing the news that the con artist had fled, the victims immediately called investigative agencies. However, the police and prosecution merely shifted the blame onto each other. Frustrated, the victims eventually went out to search for him themselves.
Next is an exclusive report by reporter Ahn Hee-jae.
〈Reporter Ahn Hee-jae〉
Shocked by the news that Park, the fraud suspect whom they thought was in prison, had escaped, victims called the police officer in charge of the case, only to receive absurd responses.
[Victim-Police Investigator (Call on August 19): (If he runs away, what if he smuggles himself out by boat?) .... What can we do about smuggling by boat? What can we do about smuggling by boat?]
The police claimed they had already handed over most of the victimized cases, pointing fingers at the responsibilities of the prosecution and the court.
[Victim-Police Investigator (Call on August 19): Cases like Mr. ○○○'s are not my case. Ask the prosecutor where he is and have them catch him. The responsibility also lies with the court that let him go with a three-year suspended sentence in the first place, and with the prosecution that took no action...]
The prosecution's explanation was somewhat different.
They bounced the ball back, stating that it was the police who had obtained the arrest warrant for Park.
[Victim-Prosecution Investigator (Call on September 1): Since it's a separate case, it has nothing to do with us right now. The police officer probably knows better than anyone else.]
Disappointed by this back-and-forth shifting of blame between the police and prosecution, victims went directly to find Park's family, leading to a commotion where police were dispatched.
[Police Officer Dispatched to the Scene (September 2): Since the law isn't playing its proper role, you have come to realize justice yourselves, but (doing so) can still be punished as trespassing. The law is truly... at times like this...]
[Lim Seo-yeon, Luxury Goods Purchase Fraud Victim: It felt like a game of table tennis where they were dodging each other. Here they say, 'It's not us,' and 'It's not us either'.... They gave him all the time to hide and all the time to run away. Why on earth do we have to go around catching him ourselves...]
When asked by reporters about where the responsibility lies, internal police complaints emerged asking why the prosecution had not acted proactively, claiming the prosecution was turning a blind eye to livelihood-related crimes ahead of the enforcement of the revised Criminal Procedure Act. Meanwhile, a prosecution official maintained a principled stance, stating that since Park was originally a suspect in custody, they were investigating according to procedures based on a non-detention forwarding case.
(Video Editing: Kim Jin-won, VJ: Jaemin, Design: Yang Gi-tae, Kim Min-young)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.