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Gold smuggling ring indicted, including lawyer who defended similar caper

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 16:51

A view of a Krugerrand coin and gold bars kept in the safe deposit boxes room of the Pro Aurum gold house in Munich, Germany, Jan 10. Photo is not related to the story. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

A ring of smugglers that laundered gold bars worth 3 billion won ($2.18 million) through Korea has been indicted, and among them was a lawyer who had previously defended a similar smuggling case.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday that it indicted three individuals — the ringleader and two middle managers — on charges of smuggling large amounts of gold across Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Fifteen others were indicted without detention, including two investors and 13 recruiters, couriers and guides.

The smugglers allegedly exploited the price gap between gold in Hong Kong and Japan, buying gold bars in Hong Kong and smuggling them into Japan. To avoid tightened Japanese customs scrutiny on travelers arriving from Hong Kong, they routed the gold through Incheon International Airport.

At the airport, guides and couriers secretly exchanged the gold in restrooms within the transit area in what prosecutors described as a "handoff."

The investigation began during a probe into a drug case, when prosecutors found that two Korean women had been caught attempting to smuggle gold at Fukuoka Airport in Japan. The probe expanded into a full-scale crackdown, leading to the exposure of the entire smuggling operation. Prosecutors also identified and apprehended the individuals who orchestrated the scheme.

One of the middle managers behind the operation was already serving a sentence for a similar offense. He called his accomplices to the detention center and directed the smuggling while investing 240 million won in the operation.

Gold bars at Incheon International Airport Customs Office in Incheon on March 5. Photo is not related to the story. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Another investor was a lawyer who had previously defended the same middle manager in a gold smuggling case. Well acquainted with the scheme and its profits, the lawyer embezzled 100 million won from his law firm to invest in the operation. He also provided legal consulting to the ringleader to help evade Korea’s customs laws.

Prosecutors called the lawyer’s conduct “a textbook case of ethical collapse by a legal professional.” However, they noted that the smuggling attempt failed early on when two couriers were apprehended in Japan and the gold was confiscated, resulting in no financial gain. The lawyer was indicted without detention, and disciplinary proceedings have been requested with the Korean Bar Association.

“We will ensure that the defendants are appropriately punished and will continue to strictly respond to all forms of smuggling,” a prosecutor said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]