Police arrest 911 in traffic accident insurance fraud sweep

Nationwide crackdown runs June to September

Police conduct a vehicle inspection in Seoul. [Yonhap]
Police conduct a vehicle inspection in Seoul. [Yonhap]

Police arrested 911 people on traffic accident insurance fraud charges over the past four months, detaining 12 of them, the Korean National Police Agency announced Tuesday. The suspects were linked to 2,045 separate offenses, with total damages reaching 7.52 billion won ($5.69 million).

The agency's National Investigation Headquarters said it conducted an intensive nationwide investigation from June 15 through Sept. 30, targeting insurance fraud that undermines ordinary people's livelihoods and the rule of law.

Among those caught was a gang of 22 people who deliberately caused traffic accidents in the Geoje area of South Gyeongsang Province, targeting vehicles suspected of drunk driving between January 2022 and April 2024, and extorting a combined 198 million won from drivers and insurers. Police charged them under the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud and the Act on Punishment of Violent Acts, including joint extortion.

Eleven members of an organized crime ring were also arrested for targeting lane-changing vehicles in the Guri and Namyangju areas of Gyeonggi Province. Over roughly a year through October last year, the group staged deliberate minor collisions on 11 occasions, fraudulently collecting about 80 million won in insurance payouts.

The National Investigation Headquarters said the crackdown targeted not only habitual, organized fraud rings but also minor offenses such as the so-called "wrist strike" — a tactic in which a suspect thrusts a hand or wrist at a passing vehicle to feign injury.

In Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, one suspect was detained on fraud charges for repeatedly throwing himself in front of right-turning vehicles over three months through last month, extorting more than 20 million won from drivers on more than 30 occasions.

By type, deliberate collisions staged to look like accidents accounted for 1,559 cases, or 76 percent of the total. Of those, 600 cases — 29 percent — involved vehicles making lane changes, the most common target. Falsified accident reports followed with 336 cases (16 percent), collusion between perpetrators and supposed victims with 319 cases (15 percent), and self-inflicted injuries such as wrist strikes with 209 cases (10 percent).

The age profile of suspects varied by offense type. In deliberate collision cases, people in their 20s made up 28 percent of suspects and those in their 30s 20 percent, reflecting a relatively high share of younger offenders. In fabricated-accident cases — such as swapping drivers after a crash or falsifying accident details — people in their 40s accounted for about 10 percent, a comparatively high share.

Hong Seok-gi, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, said the agency would continue to focus its investigative resources on eradicating traffic accident insurance fraud, which he called a serious crime that threatens public safety and increases the financial burden on citizens. He added that the agency would strengthen protections for victims identified through investigations, including canceling administrative penalties imposed on them and refunding surcharge premiums they had been made to pay.


arin@heraldcorp.com