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4 clusters · 6 sources · 17 days · First seen · Last updated

Korea Customs Service enforcement and e-commerce fraud

Overview

The Korea Customs Service has conducted extensive enforcement actions targeting drug smuggling, financial violations, and increasingly, e-commerce fraud. In late August, the agency reported a 100% arrest rate in international mail drug smuggling cases since April, utilizing a “controlled delivery” tactic to intercept substances such as cannabis and Yaba. To support these efforts, the agency increased its specialized investigative personnel from approximately 100 to 325.

In subsequent reports, the agency shifted focus toward large-scale tax evasion and quota tariff abuses. Between January and July, officials detected approximately 1.076 trillion won in tax evasion and regulatory violations, with 546.8 billion won involving the abuse of quota tariffs intended to stabilize consumer prices for items like sugar, beef, and frozen mackerel.

Recent data highlights a massive surge in fraudulent activities related to overseas direct purchases. The value of goods seized for being falsely declared as personal use rather than for commercial resale reached a record 225.8 billion won last year, an eightfold increase from 28.1 billion won in 2021. Clothing and textiles represented the largest share of these seizures at 54.5%, followed by cosmetics, bags, and shoes.

Additionally, identity theft involving personal customs clearance codes has risen sharply, with suspected misuse increasing from 16,355 cases in 2023 to 71,440 in 2024. To mitigate risks of tax evasion and drug smuggling linked to this misuse, the Korea Customs Service has begun pilot testing an e-commerce-specific customs platform that utilizes one-time authentication numbers via email or text.

Entities

Korea Customs Service · Lee Jong-wook · Bae Jun-young

Timeline

  1. 8 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    South Korea sees surge in overseas purchase fraud and identity theft

    South Korea reports record-high customs evasion via overseas direct purchases and a fourfold increase in personal customs clearance code theft, prompting new authentication measures.

  2. 11 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Korea Customs Service uncovers 546.8 billion won in quota tariff abuses

    The Korea Customs Service uncovered 546.8 billion won in quota tariff abuses, including price manipulation and illegal stockpiling, amid calls for better tracking of consumer price impacts.

  3. 13 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 4 sources
    Korea Customs Service detects 1.076 trillion won in tax evasion and violations

    The Korea Customs Service detected 1.076 trillion won in violations, including 58.6 billion won in tax evasion through the misuse of quota tariffs and import price manipulation.

  4. 25 days ago

    [CRIME] 2 sources
    Korea Customs Service achieves 100% arrest rate in international mail drug smuggling cases

    The Korea Customs Service has achieved a 100% arrest rate for 10 drug smuggling cases intercepted via international mail using its new ‘second line of defense’ and controlled delivery tactics.

Sources

biz.heraldcorp.com · imaeil.com · kgnews.co.kr · kyeonggi.com · localsegye.co.kr · seoul.co.kr

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history