South Korea seizes close to $100m in ill-gained funds, including from illegal gambling

Every year, tens of millions of dollars' worth of ill-gained proceeds are seized by South Korean authorities in operations against illegal gambling and online scams, among other crimes. At the same time, hundreds of suspects are arrested or tracked down from overseas to face legal action.

Despite the coordinated action of South Korea police agencies, which also collaborate with international regulatory bodies to take down criminal groups, illegal gambling, money laundering and online scams remain an issue impacting the region. Now, a newly released report highlights that law enforcement continues to combat cross-border crimes while bringing criminals who fled overseas back for sentencing. As announced by the local media outlet, Korea JoongAng Daily, the South Korean Ministry of Justice has seized a whopping 139.6bn Korean won, or $92.4m, worth of combined criminal proceeds in 2025 alone. Equally important, the actions of law enforcement, in coordination with international police authorities, resulted in the repatriation of 274 criminals who had escaped overseas. The figure that is close to 140bn Korean won seized in criminal proceeds represents an increase when compared to the annual average of 120bn Korean won. While the Ministry of Justice confirmed the combined worth of criminal proceeds seized by law enforcement last year, it did not provide a breakdown per activity, such as illegal gambling, romance scams or money laundering. The announcement comes on the heels of the takedown of a major illegal gambling ring valued at $1bn earlier this month. As announced by local media outlets, the criminal group operated between April 2020 and January 2025, processing a mind-blowing 1.3 trillion Korean won, or approximately $861.8m. Allegedly, the criminal syndicate earned $50m from operating several illegal gambling websites. The operation resulted in the arrest of 13 people, including the suspected mastermind.