Six more suspects extradited after serving time in Thailand face trial

705 victims in South Korea defrauded of 15.09 billion won

Gang rebuilt operations within 10 days of arrests

A group photo of members of "Lungger Company," a criminal fraud organization that operated out of Pattaya, Thailand. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]
A group photo of members of "Lungger Company," a criminal fraud organization that operated out of Pattaya, Thailand. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

Six Korean members of a voice phishing ring that defrauded 705 victims in South Korea of about 15.1 billion won ($11.1 million) while operating out of Pattaya, Thailand, have been additionally indicted.

The third criminal division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office announced Tuesday that it had additionally indicted the six Korean nationals on charges of participating in fraud as members of the criminal organization known as "Lungger Company."

The suspects are accused of taking part in various fraud schemes — including romance scams and impersonation of law enforcement — carried out by Lungger Company, which was based in the Pattaya area of Thailand from January to July 2025. According to the prosecutors office, the organization defrauded 705 victims in South Korea of a total of 15.09 billion won.

The group divided responsibilities by rank, with roles including a general leader, a headquarters chief, team leaders and team members. Investigators found the organization also ran specialized units by fraud type — a romance scam team, a law enforcement impersonation team, a lottery-compensation cryptocurrency scam team and a no-show team.

Members used fake female accounts to lure victims into watching live broadcasts, then demanded cryptocurrency top-up fees and currency exchange commissions. Others impersonated investigators and told victims their bank accounts had been linked to criminal activity, instructing them to transfer money to designated accounts. The gang also deceived victims by claiming to sell cryptocurrency at a discount as compensation for failed lottery number predictions, and posed as soldiers asking victims to purchase goods on their behalf from vendors the scammers had introduced.

27 suspects extradited in stages, all indicted

Key fraud methods used by Lungger Company [Provided by Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office]
Key fraud methods used by Lungger Company [Provided by Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office]

Evidence also emerged that the organization attempted to continue its operations even after arrests by law enforcement. Thai police raided a pool villa office in Pattaya on June 21, 2025, detaining 21 members including 20 Koreans. With many lower-ranking members in custody, the Chinese ringleader and other senior figures quickly recruited new Korean members and reestablished a front office as a new base of operations within 10 days.

Thai police struck again on Aug. 6 of the same year, raiding an office disguised as a car rental business and a nearby residence in Pattaya, detaining nine members including eight Koreans. Four more members who had fled were subsequently apprehended, bringing the total number of Korean members arrested to 32.

The prosecutors office worked with police and Thai investigative authorities to arrange the repatriation of the suspects. After indicting 21 members extradited in nine separate transfers between September and October 2025, prosecutors additionally indicted the six who had served roughly one year in Thailand under local law and were recently returned to South Korea — with indictments issued from October through this month.

The 21 members previously brought to trial received sentences ranging from five years and six months to 13 years in prison. Of those, 15 have had their sentences finalized.

Prosecutors found that the Chinese ringleader, headquarters chief and other senior Chinese figures had recruited Korean members by falsely promising them large earnings working at a voice phishing call center inside a luxury villa complex in Thailand. Once the Korean recruits arrived, their passports were confiscated and they were forced into the criminal operation.

The prosecutors office plans to seek extradition of the Chinese ringleader, who is currently serving a sentence in Thailand, given the large number of victims in South Korea. Two headquarters chiefs remain at large. Four of the Korean members have been transferred to other jurisdictions for further review, and one has yet to be extradited to South Korea.

"We will continue to track down the remaining members — including the ringleader abroad — to the end, in cooperation with Thai investigative authorities and police," a prosecutors office official said.


newday@heraldcorp.com