Exclusive: Man Evading Record 650 B.0 Billion Won Fine Arrested After 7 Years on the Run

A man who had been on the run for seven years without paying a fine exceeding 650 billion won has been arrested by prosecutors, an SBS investigation revealed.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office arrested a man in his 50s, identified only by his surname A, a long-term unpaid fine fugitive, at a location in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on August 21.

A was the transport mastermind for a group that smuggled some 40,000 kilograms of gold bars from Hong Kong to Japan. In 2019, a district court sentenced him to two and a half years in prison alongside a fine of around 1.3 trillion won.

At the time, it drew widespread attention as the largest fine ever handed down for a single case. However, half a year later, A had his sentence significantly reduced in an appellate trial and was released.

His fine was also slashed by about half to approximately 662.3 billion won. A promptly went into hiding, evading prosecutors' tracking and continuing his life as a fugitive.

The breakthrough came from A's associates.

Investigators from the prosecution's execution division, who recently launched a comprehensive review of related records, spotted suspicious circumstances among A's associates. Following an intensive pursuit, they confirmed that A had met with them at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, last July.

Tracing his movements backward, investigators raided his hideout on August 21 and apprehended A.

Following asset recalculation procedures, the total fine A must pay amounts to 653.7 billion won.

This is the largest amount in history among unpaid fine cases.

Investigations showed that A evaded tracking by rotating multiple mobile phones, including burner phones, and utilizing Telegram accounts registered under foreign names.

Immediately after his arrest, A claimed that the 5-year statute of limitations for the fine had expired. When that argument was rejected, he reportedly refused to pay the fine by claiming he had no remaining assets.

Under relevant laws dictating that individuals who cannot pay fines are confined to workhouses, A was immediately sent to prison.

However, because the maximum period of workhouse confinement is fixed regardless of the unpaid fine amount, A will be a free man in approximately two years and eight months at most.

Calculations show that A's daily workhouse rate amounts to roughly 660 million won, reaching about 20 billion won per month.

This is why criticisms of "emperor labor" have emerged.

The total amount of unpaid fines nationwide currently stands at around 5.5 trillion won. A prosecution official stated, "To realize national justice, clear enforcement is just as important as the strict imposition of penalties. We will do our best to realize penal authority even after the reorganization into the Public Prosecutors' Office takes place."

Further details will be reported on SBS 8 News today (September 1).

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.