Incheon digital age gang members arrested in $3.5M lottery fraud

Four major organized crime rings in Incheon have been dismantled in a sweeping bust, resulting in 97 arrests.

Prosecutors uncovered sophisticated lottery scams that defrauded thousands of victims of approximately $3.5 million, marking a significant shift in criminal operations as younger "Generation MZ" members embrace digital fraud.

The new face of organized crime

The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office announced Monday, April 28, 2025, that members from four major crime organizations—Ganseok Sikkupa, Juan Sikkupa, Kkolmangpa (also known as Sinpodoeng Sikkupa), and Bupyeong Sikkupa—face charges under the Act on the Punishment of Violence and other offenses.

Unlike traditional gang operations, these younger members have shifted toward online scams targeting ordinary citizens. Prosecutors noted how millennial and Gen Z criminals form fluid groups around specific illegal ventures rather than maintaining rigid faction loyalties.

Prosecutors said:

The MZ generation joins organized crime as a way to flaunt their status, listing their gang affiliation in the occupation section of their social media profiles, exposing tattoos, and sharing group photos.

A lottery scam that targeted thousands

The most lucrative operation involved fake lottery number websites that defrauded approximately 5,000 victims of 5.1 billion won ($3.5 million). Gang members also conducted used-car fraud schemes totaling 480 million won ($334,000) and cryptocurrency scams worth about 1 billion won ($696,000).

These non-face-to-face crimes represent a dangerous evolution in Incheon's criminal landscape, which had previously weakened following a major gang conflict at a hospital funeral hall in 2011.

Violence and intimidation continue

Despite their digital focus, traditional violence remains part of the gangs' operations. A member of Bupyeong Sikkupa, a man in his 20s, was found to have beaten two junior members with a baseball bat between 2022 and 2024, later attempting to blame another member.

Other incidents included:

• Random assaults on pedestrians in downtown areas
• Extortion through threats over debt repayments
• A mass brawl at a restaurant in Yeonsu District last December
• Theft of a luxury watch worth approximately 120 million won ($83,00)

Prosecutors highlighted how gang members create "an atmosphere of intimidation by loudly exchanging 90-degree bow greetings in gangster style" in public places.

Disillusionment and prevention

Authorities noted that many young gang members eventually express regret about joining, saying, "It's not like the movies." Prosecutors emphasized continued preventive education efforts to make younger people understand that "even merely joining a criminal organization can result in severe punishment."

The case highlights the evolving nature of organized crime in Incheon, a major port city and transportation hub located 25 miles west-southwest of Seoul with a population of nearly 3 million residents.