Police in North Gyeongsang Province arrest group involved in manufacturing and distributing 6,000 counterfeit 50,000 won bills (South Korea)

On the 22nd, Gumi Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, announced that they had arrested 18 people, including the person in charge, Mr. A (in his 20s), who is accused of producing and distributing counterfeit bills worth hundreds of millions of won, and that five of them had been arrested.
Between January and March of this year, the group produced and distributed 6,374 counterfeit 50,000 won bills worth 320 million won (approximately US$360,000), and used them in illegal transactions, including buying drugs.
According to a police investigation, the group was found to have been using a household color printer and paper made from the same material as real banknotes to produce counterfeit notes.
It was also revealed that the drugs were advertised on social media and sold to multiple people, including minors. The main culprit, Mr. A, fled to the Philippines in February when the police investigation began.
After that, he told his accomplice in the country how to make counterfeit bills and prepared funds for his escape. Mr. A, who was on the red list of Interpol, was unaware of this fact and tried to return to the country when he was arrested in the Philippines.
The group was arrested on suspicion of robbery. Police plan to deport A to Korea, and the other 17 people have been referred to the prosecution. Police are currently expanding their investigation to identify additional crimes against the group.
A police official said, "We will take a strict stance against counterfeiting crimes that disrupt the order of monetary circulation and the economy. As counterfeiters mainly target traditional markets, small merchants and manufacturers are refusing to make cash transactions.
"I would like to see more careful examination of holograms and other things at times."