President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday thanked the United Arab Emirates' leader for his government's cooperation in arresting the alleged leaders of a major illegal online gambling operation.
Lee said three senior figures behind an online gambling network handling transactions worth trillions of won had been arrested in the UAE. Two were repatriated to South Korea on Wednesday.
The suspects allegedly recruited even middle school students into criminal activities and lived lavishly overseas while concealing their identities using passports issued by third countries, according to Lee.
Lee credited the arrests to close cooperation between the UAE government and South Korea's interagency task force on transnational crime.
"I am deeply grateful to the UAE government for its active cooperation once again, following its assistance in July," Lee wrote in a post on X in both Korean and Arabic.
"On behalf of the Korean people, I also extend my gratitude to President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," he added.
In July, South Korea's interagency task force on transnational crime worked with UAE authorities to arrest and repatriate two alleged leaders of an illegal online gambling operation involving 5.3 trillion won ($3.97 billion) in transactions.
In the latest case, the suspects allegedly operated illegal gambling sites involving 2.6 trillion won in transactions in the Philippines and Malaysia and laundered criminal proceeds, according to the government's interagency task force on transnational crime on Wednesday.
After fleeing South Korea in 2016, they reportedly used passports issued by third countries to conceal their identities while living as fugitives in Malaysia and elsewhere.
Their lavish lifestyles abroad, including inviting South Korean celebrities to visit, dining at upscale restaurants, frequenting entertainment establishments and buying luxury goods, had previously sparked controversy after details surfaced online.
Lee stressed that "criminals cannot escape punishment simply by hiding abroad."
"We will track criminals down to the very end, bring them back to South Korea and thoroughly recover their criminal proceeds," Lee wrote on X. "We will continue to respond firmly to crimes that cross borders to protect the daily lives of our people."
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com