Two members of a criminal organization have been forwarded to the prosecutors' office in custody on charges of confining and assaulting a fellow member who expressed a desire to leave the gang.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency announced today (October 28) that it has transferred two suspects, including a man in his 20s identified as A, to prosecutors under custody for violating the Punishment of Violences, Etc. Act.

According to police, A and his accomplice are accused of luring B—who had gone into hiding after expressing his intention to quit the organization in August—by threatening to harm his family, forcing him into a vehicle, confining him, and assaulting him.

B managed to escape while being dragged to another location after being assaulted.

B, who joined the gang at the recommendation of senior and junior members, attempted to leave after feeling disillusioned with the decline of the criminal organization.

Investigators found that A and other senior members pressured B, claiming that leaving the gang required a "settlement" ritual of being beaten with a baseball bat. When B refused, they threatened to inflict harm on his family.

Upon receiving intelligence regarding the case, the police placed B and his family under personal protection and apprehended A and others near a studio apartment in Jeonju following a stakeout.

Police concluded that their actions went beyond simple assault and constituted activities aimed at maintaining the gang, leading to their arrest and subsequent transfer to prosecutors.

A police official stated that circumstances indicate recent efforts to recruit new, younger members in their 20s, and additional investigations are underway, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach toward all illegal acts by organized crime syndicates that threaten public safety and peaceful daily lives.

(Photo provided by Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)