Korean gang arrested in Pattaya

[Anchor]

Members of an organization that has been committing fraud, such as voice phishing, based in the Thai resort city of Pattaya, have been arrested by local police.

Most of the members are Korean.

The indiscriminate violence that occurred within the organization led to their capture.

Our correspondent Jeong Yoon-seop in Bangkok reports.

[Report]

A man lying on the ground is being kicked repeatedly.

This indiscriminate violence was inflicted on him for betraying the organization.

The man, who was a member of the organization, thought he might die and requested help from the Korean embassy.

[Gang member who reported assault/voice altered: "(What happened to your neck?) My neck? I just got hit a lot. (You're not sleepy?) No."]

On the afternoon of the day of the report, Korean and Thai police worked together to apprehend the remaining members of the organization.

In a luxury villa complex in Pattaya, armed with guns, they arrested seven Korean members of the organization after a search.

Nearby, they also discovered a workshop disguised as a rental car company.

Here, they had been continuing their fraudulent activities using dozens of computers and phones.

Armed police also responded to a convenience store in Pattaya.

["If there are any Koreans, please speak up!"]

A man, seemingly resigned after a standoff, is dragged out; he is the leader of this criminal organization and a Chinese national who speaks Korean.

At the time of his arrest, he was under the influence of drugs and was in possession of firearms.

[Thai Channel 8 report: "(The head of the fraud organization) was found with 9 rounds of ammunition and an empty gun in a hiding warehouse."]

Earlier in June, 20 members of a Korean phone fraud organization were arrested in Pattaya, and now the rest of the gang has been captured.

[Kim Doo-sung/Korean Embassy Police Attaché in Thailand: "They are a large-scale criminal organization that has been conducting fraudulent activities overseas to evade domestic investigations, and it is estimated that there are hundreds of victims."]

The members arrested this time are currently all in custody.

Korean and Thai police plan to forcibly repatriate them to Korea soon.

This is Jeong Yoon-seop from KBS News in Bangkok.