South Korea Busts $3B Gambling Ring That Allegedly Used Child Pornography as Bait

Police in South Korea say they’ve busted an international online gambling ring that lured in players with illicit pornography, including photographs and videos exploiting minors.

The Korean National Police Agency, working with assistance from Europol and the United States Department of Homeland Security, arrested a Korean man at Incheon International Airport upon his return from the Philippines on Aug. 2. The unnamed individual is accused of helping run a vast network of illegal online gambling and pornography websites.

The Korea National Office of Investigation alleges in charging documents that the man, along with two accomplices who remain at large and a fourth man arrested at his Seoul home on Aug. 3, used disturbing child sexual abuse material to attract visitors to the websites. Once there, visitors were allegedly directed to online gambling sites linked to the criminal enterprise.

The pornography websites reportedly featured pop-up advertisements and sidebar links directing users to the gambling platforms, where they could allegedly access additional illicit material.

Porn to Gambling

South Korean law enforcement alleges that the Korean defendants, aged 36 and 40, worked with two Filipinos, aged 53 and 54, to operate the illegal online businesses. The investigation found that the criminal enterprise operated from Pasay City in the Philippines.

After receiving complaints about the pornography websites allegedly featuring minors and children, and heavily advertising illegal online casinos, an investigation was initiated. The probe discovered that two of the pornography websites had more than 116,000 videos, 2.85 million registered accounts, and more than 5.35 billion cumulative views.

The child pornography websites fueled the criminal syndicate’s illegal gambling platforms. Police reported that the gambling sites handled 4.7 trillion won (US$3.32 billion) in bets, reportedly generating gross proceeds for the bad actors of approximately $33.6 million.

The organization reportedly used two pornography sites to funnel players to at least 18 gambling websites.

“The Korean National Police Agency has collected and analyzed information related to the distribution of sexual exploitation materials domestically and internationally. The agency is currently conducting investigations by tracking clues, identifying suspects, and collecting evidence,” read a brief statement from the national law enforcement agency.

Interpol has issued Red Notices for the Filipino suspects, as well as 10 others suspected to be involved in the global operation.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a person. Red Notices aren’t international arrest warrants but requests for cooperation, and enforcement depends on the country where a suspect is located.

If convicted, the defendants could face decades in prison.

In South Korea, producing or distributing sexual exploitation material involving minors carries a minimum sentence of five years under the country’s Youth Sexual Protection Act. Production of child pornography is punishable by life imprisonment. For operating illegal online gambling, a defendant faces up to seven years in prison.