Swapping Confiscated Wine and Fake Tip-Offs for Cash: Customs Officials Indicted and Detained

Proposal to Swap Confiscated Wine with 'Dummy Bottles'

Total of 70 Million Won Demanded as Lobbying Funds

75 Million Won in Rewards Embezzled Using Fake Informant

Prosecution: "Oversight Needed for Disposition of Seized Goods and Supervision of Special Judicial Police"

Two customs officials have been indicted and detained for trial after pocketing 30 million won in cash in exchange for swapping out confiscated wine and even collecting 75 million won in a smuggling tip-off reward using a fake informant.

On the 9th, in the midst of the special investigation team of the prosecution's emergency martial law summoning former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Joong-geun for questioning, the Taegukgi and prosecution flags were fluttering in the wind in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office building. Photo by Huh Younghan

On July 27, the first criminal division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Acting Division Chief Prosecutor Park Hyangcheol) announced, "On July 24, we indicted two sixth-grade officials from Seoul Customs, identified as A and B, on charges of breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, as well as bribery and other offenses."

In August 2023, A and B allegedly proposed to C, who works in the wine industry, that they would replace 379 bottles of high-priced wine that had been confiscated with 'dummy bottles' used for display purposes, and then siphon them off. They are accused of receiving 30 million won from C after claiming that they needed to lobby the prosecutor in charge of the disposal order and the customs warehouse manager. In December of the same year, it was found that they demanded an additional 40 million won from C, promising to hand over the wine and help C obtain a large smuggling reward.

A is also accused of another offense in 2022, when, after hearing about a customs fraud case involving a "height growth supplement" from a coworker, A submitted a false report as if the tip had come from A's younger sister and collected a 75 million won reward. In response to this case, the Korea Customs Service abolished its proxy reporting system in December last year.

Their crimes came to light during the prosecutor's process for commanding the disposition of confiscated items. The customs office recommended disposing of the wine, but the prosecution ordered that 363 of the 379 bottles be returned, as the statute of limitations had expired. This thwarted the substitution scheme. Afterward, A and B demanded more money from C, saying they would siphon off the remaining 16 bottles and ensure C received a higher reward, prompting C to report the case to the police.

The prosecution stated, "Even under the current law, where the authority to decide the disposition of confiscated items and to supervise special judicial police officers rests with the prosecutor, there was an attempt to siphon off confiscated goods," adding, "This case clearly demonstrates the need for oversight of the primary investigative agency." Some of the currently proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act include provisions to transfer the authority to dispose of confiscated items from prosecutors to judicial police officers, thereby excluding prosecutors from the process.

The prosecution's position is that, as confiscated items are both the objects of seizure and evidence, only the prosecutor who manages the indictment, prosecution, and execution of sentences can ensure judicial oversight by handling their final disposition.

The prosecution further emphasized concerns that with the implementation of the Prosecution Office Act scheduled for October 2, which removes the prosecutor's authority to supervise and oversee special judicial police officers, such corruption cases may go unnoticed. The rationale is that if oversight mechanisms over special judicial police officers are weakened, it may become more difficult to prevent or uncover crimes involving the abuse of official authority.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.