'Selling figures': Gang indicted for smuggling, trafficking endangered species

Saltwater crocodiles seized at Incheon International Airport [Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office]

A criminal ring that systematically smuggled and trafficked internationally protected endangered species — including cobras and Chinese alligators — has been indicted.

The group hid rare wild animals inside underwear and snack containers to smuggle them into the country, then illegally distributed them to residential neighborhoods across South Korea. Some of the trafficked animals were highly venomous, raising serious concerns about public safety.

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said Thursday that its environmental crimes unit, the Second Criminal Division (chief prosecutor Lee Seung-hak), indicted the ringleader, identified only as A, along with four smugglers on charges of violating the Customs Act and the Wildlife Protection Act.

South Korea is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which restricts the international trade of wildlife at risk of extinction.

Wild animals seized at Incheon International Airport [Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office]

A, the ringleader, was indicted and detained on charges of smuggling 200 exotic animals in 14 separate shipments between November 2023 and August 2024, and of transferring 54 internationally protected endangered species on 19 occasions. The remaining four smugglers were indicted without detention on charges of conspiring with A.

The group advertised the smuggled animals on online reptile communities — including specialized internet cafes and KakaoTalk open chat rooms — using slang terms such as "dolls" and "figures," then shipped them by courier to buyers nationwide.

The group adopted the coded language so that, if caught in a future crackdown, members could claim they had only been selling figurines, not live animals, and avoid criminal punishment.

The illegal trade proved highly lucrative. Prices ranged from hundreds of thousands of won to several million won per animal, with rare genetic variants such as albino or leucistic individuals commanding asking prices in the tens of millions of won.

"Wild animals possess extremely dangerous characteristics — including lethal venom, aggressive behavior and the potential to spread disease — and if they escape or go missing in densely populated areas, they pose a grave threat to human life, physical safety and residential environments," prosecutors said. The office added that it plans to work closely with the Ministry of Environment, the National Institute of Ecology and other relevant agencies to respond firmly to such crimes.

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