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Three men arrested for using counterfeit currency in Icheon stores

Published: 03 Dec. 2025, 17:03

Three 50,000 won bills are seen in this file photo [SON SUNG-BAE]

In the early hours of Nov. 13, three men walked into a convenience store in Icheon, Gyeonggi, and purchased a pack of cigarettes using a 50,000 won ($34) bill. The clerk noticed the bill felt different from usual and, upon closer inspection, realized the print quality was off. The employee called the police.

It turned out to be just one of many reports that poured in around the same time. Eleven convenience stores had fallen victim to a similar scam that night.

The three men entered each store, paid with a 50,000 won bill for a 4,500 won pack of cigarettes, and received 45,500 won in change — only for the bills to later be revealed as counterfeits, according to police.

In one case, the suspects even had a meal at a restaurant, casually paid with fake currency and received real cash as change.

The Icheon Police Precinct analyzed CCTV footage around the targeted stores and identified a vehicle believed to have been used in the crimes. They tracked the vehicle and, just 11 hours after the first report, arrested three men in their 20s in Daejeon at around 4:05 p.m. on Nov. 13. The men were indicted on Nov. 22 and charged with possession and use of counterfeit currency.

The group of men received 20 counterfeit 50,000 won bills on Nov. 12, the day before the crimes. The bills were handed over by another man separate from the group, an acquaintance they met in everyday social circles. The man allegedly gave one of the three men the counterfeit bills along with other unidentified items at a highway rest stop between Icheon and Yeoju.

Cigarettes are displayed at a convenience store in Seoul on Aug. 3. [NEWS1]

The man who handed the group the counterfeit bills was arrested on Monday in Suwon, Gyeonggi, where he resides. He is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on Wednesday. While the man has so far been charged with possession and use of counterfeit currency, police are investigating the possibility that he may have been involved in manufacturing the bills.

The three men and the man who handed them the bills gave differing statements. The three men told police they were aware they were given counterfeit bills and that they knowingly used them.

The man who handed them the bills, however, claimed he was merely delivering the bag and had no knowledge of its contents. Police, however, believe the two had prearranged the scheme based on messages retrieved from their mobile phones during forensic analysis.

A convenience store in Seoul is seen on Nov. 5. [YONHAP]

On the morning of Nov. 13, the three men used the counterfeit bills at 11 convenience stores and one restaurant across Icheon and Gwangju. In one store, they used two counterfeit bills, while the remaining locations received one each — a total of 12 bills used.

At the time of arrest, the group was found with four fake bills. An additional nine were recovered from the stores. The whereabouts of the remaining seven bills are unknown.

Police are urging store owners, particularly those at convenience stores and restaurants, to be vigilant about counterfeit bills.

“These fake bills are difficult to detect without careful inspection,” a police official said. “It appears the suspects deliberately targeted stores run by middle-aged or elderly workers during the early morning hours, when detection is less likely and escaping is easier even if caught.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON SUNG-BAE [[email protected]]