South Korea's Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) instructed prosecutors nationwide on Nov. 15 to treat operators of gambling sites whose main users are juveniles as detention-first cases, and to pursue the heaviest charges available against them1.
The directive covers people who run or take part in gambling sites aimed mainly at juveniles, and distributors who recruit juveniles as members of those sites. The SPO said it told prosecutors dedicated to organized crime to set up joint investigative working groups with police, to detain such suspects as a principle and to seek the maximum penalty at trial1.
"청소년이 주 이용 대상인 도박사이트를 운영하거나 이에 가담한 자, 청소년을 도박사이트 회원으로 모집한 총판 등 청소년 대상 인터넷 도박 게임 제공자에 대해 조직범죄 전담 검사로 하여금 경찰과 수사 실무협의체를 구축해 구속수사를 원칙으로 하고 법정 최고형을 구형하도록 했다"
For illegal online gambling site operators, the SPO said it ordered prosecutors to apply tax evasion and organized crime charges alongside the gambling charge, so that punishment is substantive1. It said the gambling charge alone carries a low sentence, but that applying tax evasion allows up to life imprisonment where the evaded tax is 1 billion won or more, plus a fine of two to five times the evaded amount, which also allows recovery of criminal proceeds1. Prosecutors were told to trace members' assets, secure confiscation and preservation orders, and seize physical property to strip criminal profits completely1.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Detention | Detention as a principle for operators targeting juveniles1 |
| Charges added | Tax evasion, organized crime1 |
| Sentence sought | Maximum penalty at trial1 |
| Tax evasion of 1 billion won or more | Up to life imprisonment; fine of 2 to 5 times the evaded tax1 |
| Assets | Confiscation, preservation orders, seizure of physical property1 |
The SPO also said juvenile gambling offenders will be steered toward conditional suspension of indictment requiring gambling addiction prevention counseling and education, so that young people can leave addiction and return to normal life1.
The directive follows a government-wide push. President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Oct. 10 that illegal gambling operations targeting juveniles are a vicious crime that eats away at the nation's future, and ordered a government-wide response1. On Nov. 3, a cross-ministerial task force to eradicate juvenile online illegal gambling was launched, involving the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the SPO and the National Police Agency1.
What it means for players
The directive is aimed at operators and recruiters, not at juvenile users, who the SPO says may be offered counseling and education instead of prosecution1. For adults in South Korea, the practical effect is that sites marketed to teenagers are now a priority target for detention and asset seizure, which can mean sudden shutdowns and loss of funds held on those platforms. South Korea's general rules on what gambling is legal, and the penalties players themselves can face, are set out in the Gambling Laws in Asia guide and the penalties for players page; the country's own rules are covered in Can I Gamble in South Korea?.
What happens next
The task force launched on Nov. 3 brings the justice, education and gender equality ministries together with the SPO and police1. The SPO said the detention-first approach and the added charges are now standing instructions to prosecutors, and that juvenile offenders will be routed to counseling and education conditions1. No end date for the task force's work, and no figures on how many sites or operators are under investigation, have been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- 대검 "청소년 상대 인터넷 도박 운영자 원칙적 구속수사" | 연합뉴스, yna.co.kr
