1. A Record-High Fine, Followed by a Twist
Mr. A was the head of transport for an international gold smuggling ring. Between 2015 and 2016, he traveled between South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, smuggling in more than 40,000 one-kilogram gold bars across over 200 trips. The illicit market profits made by the ring were estimated at around 40 billion won. In 2019, the court of first instance sentenced Mr. A to two years and six months in prison along with an astronomical fine of over 1.3 trillion won. The astronomical sum resulted from calculating the fine based on the original cost of the gold bars. It drew massive public attention at the time as the highest fine ever imposed in a single case.

[Cho Jang-hyun / Then-Public Relations Judge at Busan District Court (SBS '8 News', January 15, 2019): The nature of the crime was deemed grave because they actively carried out their criminal activities over a long period by exploiting ordinary citizens, luring them with offers such as free trips to Japan...]

That was what was known so far, but a twist followed. Six months after the first-instance verdict, an appellate court drastically reduced his sentence, and Mr. A was released. The appellate court stated, "While his criminal liability is heavy, it is questionable whether an astronomical fine aligns with the public's legal sentiment given their level of involvement and the criminal proceeds," sentencing Mr. A to one year and four months in prison and a fine of 662.3 billion won. Although the fine was nearly cut in half, it remained among the highest in history. Mr. A's choice was flight. Disappearing immediately after his release, Mr. A lived on the run without paying a single won.

2. Vanished Like a Ghost
Did law enforcement sit idly by while he disappeared without paying his fine? In January 2020, after Mr. A's conviction was finalized, the prosecution reassessed and finalized his fine at 653.7 billion won. Once the payment deadline passed, authorities placed him on a wanted list and issued an overseas travel ban, hastily tracking him down. However, the prosecution explained that they could not find a single trace of him.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: Mr. A left virtually no clues, and there was no communication trail whatsoever. It would not be an exaggeration to say he was essentially a ghost.]

Tracking fine evaders occurs during the sentence enforcement phase after a conviction is finalized. Because investigative tools and techniques permitted during criminal investigations cannot be utilized, authorities in the field voice significant difficulties with real-time location tracking.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: During the sentence enforcement stage, warrants such as search and seizure or bank account tracing are not permitted. If someone intentionally conceals their cell phone, there is very little information that can be obtained even with a telecommunications warrant. In the end, investigators have no choice but to pound the pavement day and night...]

As officers in charge changed several times, time simply slipped away.

3. Caught After a Desperate Pursuit: "I Can't Pay, I'll Serve Hard Labor"
The tide turned around July. Amid accelerating discussions on amending the Criminal Procedure Act, including the abolition of investigative powers, prosecutors launched a comprehensive review of Mr. A's case file under the goal of prioritizing the apprehension of the highest-amount delinquent while the prosecutorial organization remained intact.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: (In the draft amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act), prosecutorial investigators were slated to no longer handle sentence enforcement duties. We felt we had to resolve long-standing unsolved cases, including Mr. A's, by October...]

Focusing on Mr. A, who had seemingly vanished into thin air, the prosecution turned their attention to those around him. Suspecting that Mr. A, having intentionally gone into hiding, must have had accomplices, a breakthrough finally emerged. They discovered that acquaintances of Mr. A were visiting the jewelry district in Jongno, Seoul, with unusual frequency.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: We screened plausible individuals (as accomplices) and determined it was unusual if people with no connection to gold smuggling were frequently visiting the jewelry street in Jongno-gu.]

Following exhaustive stakeouts and inquiries, investigators caught sight of Mr. A at a cafe in Jongno where his acquaintances had gathered.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: I recognized him immediately as Mr. A. It truly gave me chills. He hadn't shown himself to us once in seven years, and seeing him in the flesh for the first time...]

Reverse tracking began. After boarding public transit—

[Is he on the phone?]

—his destination, a hideout in Yeongdeungpo-gu, was finally identified. On August 21, the arrest operation was launched. An investigator cautiously approached the hideout before pulling back quickly, and soon a man emerged. It was Mr. A.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: I went over to listen for movement, but the front door sensor light came on and his phone conversation suddenly stopped. Thinking he might notice us, I quickly backed out of the alley.]

After staring intently at the investigators, Mr. A turned away to flee, and the investigators sprinted immediately.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: I felt his intense gaze from afar. Just as he tried to close and lock the door, we pulled it open...]

With handcuffs snapped onto his wrists, his seven years on the run came to an end.

[Mr. A (At the time of arrest on August 21): (You know why, right? The fine amount is substantial, and there's the gold bar issue...) Yes. (It's been a long time with us, right?) Yes.]

Sure enough, it was revealed that Mr. A had evaded pursuit through methods such as rotating between multiple mobile phones, including unactivated devices, and using Telegram under a foreigner's name.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: He carried three phones, each for a different purpose. He was accessing Telegram using an account under a Japanese national's name...]

Mr. A reportedly looked nothing like a fugitive. In CCTV footage, he was seen chatting with a calm expression and casually exchanging greetings with neighbors.

[Resident: He was always making a lot of phone calls, and there was talk about money, too.]

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: What was truly unexpected was that he wasn't wearing a mask at all. We thought he would try to cover himself in some way, but he walked the streets openly without doing anything like that...]

After his arrest, Mr. A readily admitted to having deliberately lived in hiding. Yet, he reportedly kept asking one question repeatedly.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: He kept asking the entire way to the prosecutors' office, 'I thought the statute of limitations on the fine had expired; can you enforce it like this?' It was confirmed that he had simply been waiting for the statute of limitations to run out.]

He claimed the standard five-year statute of limitations for unpaid fines had elapsed, but the prosecution had already extended it to January 2029. Upon realizing this, he shifted to stubborn resistance, claiming he had no assets to pay the fine.

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: He said all his assets had been confiscated, that he had zero wealth left, couldn't pay the fine, and would serve hard labor instead...]

Mr. A ended up behind bars once again. This brings to light yet another systemic issue.

4. After an Arduous Arrest, Is 'Emperor Hard Labor' the Way Out?
Those who refuse to pay fines are required to perform compulsory labor at a correctional facility workhouse for a court-designated period. The problem is that under current law, detention in a workhouse cannot exceed three years, regardless of the fine's amount. As noted, Mr. A's unpaid fine stands at 653.7 billion won. Calculating various factors, Mr. A's workhouse detention period comes out to roughly two years and eight months. If he simply endures that period, the entire 653.7 billion won is erased. That equates to a daily rate of about 660 million won. This is why criticism arises that even after an arduous apprehension, offenders simply get away with "emperor hard labor."

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: It did feel somewhat disheartening. It amounts to having 20 billion won written off each month. I understand the original intent of the workhouse detention system was designed for vulnerable members of society who struggle to pay fines, but I believe it must not be abused as a means to evade massive fines.]

As of July this year, nationwide unpaid fines identified by the prosecution approached 5.5 trillion won. Mr. A alone accounts for about 10% of that total. In other words, 90% of the unpaid fines remain to be recovered. Tracking and collecting these fines is expected to be a key challenge for the prosecution, which has handled sentence enforcement, as well as for the future Public Indictment Office. Naturally, reality makes optimism difficult.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: In 2026, the Western District Prosecutors' Office alone has 1,600 cases of unpaid fines. There are only two primary investigators assigned. It is impossible to handle them all.]

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: When we go out to arrest scenes, we encounter all kinds of situations, and many are quite dangerous. I believe an increase in staff and the expansion of investigative equipment are absolutely necessary.]

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office told SBS that it is striving to increase sentence enforcement personnel, expand training to enhance capabilities, and establish systems for tracing property.

5. After the SBS Report?
Following the report, some viewers commented that it felt like a promotional video for the prosecution. In reality, it is rare for active prosecutorial investigators to appear in the media with their real names and faces fully revealed. Moreover, with public sentiment toward prosecutorial organizations unfavorable, I wondered why they chose to step forward. Through reporting, I could somewhat understand their motivation. Even if prosecutors' offices take down their signboards and disappear, the work they have done and must continue to do does not vanish. Someone must continue the role of tracking fine evaders and enforcing sentences. For public servants who have shouldered this burden on the ground under harsh conditions, there seemed to be a underlying hope to spark change and improvement before it is too late, whenever an opportunity arises, regardless of what the signboard becomes.

[Yeom Cheol-jin / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: A sentence is meaningless if it cannot be enforced. We do our utmost so that law enforcement is carried out fairly for everyone, and we hope the public will take an interest in this work...]

[Kim Hak-rok / Enforcement Division, Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office: It may look like merely arresting one person, but in truth, it is about preserving the public's trust that the law is properly enforced. We will continue to approach our duties with principle and responsibility...]

The prosecution emphasized that even after restructuring into the Public Indictment Office, it will do its best to realize national justice through strict sentence enforcement. It leaves one pondering whether right now is the golden hour to overhaul institutional mechanisms so that those who mock justice by hiding, and then brazenly hold out after being caught, can be held fully accountable.

Reported by An Huijae | Story by Shin Hee-sook | Camera by Kim Se-kyeong, Kim Seung-tae, and Lee Chan-soo | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News