The police said Thursday they had arrested a total of 708 foreigners in the past two months, with gambling and financial fraud being the most common crimes committed by foreigners residing in Korea. 

The police arrested 371 foreign nationals, of whom 27 were physically detained, for involvement in gambling and phishing scams during the two-month crackdown that started in September.

In most cases, foreigners gambled for fun with their friends, without being aware it was illegal. But this time, police caught a professional criminal ring luring foreigners into large-scale gambling, according to the police.

“Gambling or voice phishing with falsified bankbooks are not classified as severe crimes, but we decided to crack down on the crimes as illegal money can sneak out of Korea through these crimes,” an official from the National Police Agency said.

Of the remaining 337 foreign nationals arrested, 194 were nabbed for severe violence, followed by 70 for gang violence, 61 for drug use and 12 for sex crimes, the police said.

Most of the gangs form groups with friends or colleagues to collectively use violence for minor issues and are not unified enough to be called organized crime rings, the police said.

The National Police Agency clamped down on foreign gangs in the first half of the year, either deporting or leading them to leave the country, according to the police.

Out of 121 cases of robbery and assaults, 96 were committed against people of the same nationality. As those from the same country tend to gather together, they have more chances to argue or clash, the police said.

Of the remaining 25 cases, 13 were committed against South Koreans, mostly in relation to delayed payments, and 10 percent were committed against foreigners of different nationalities, according to police. Most were unplanned, they added. 

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heralcrop.com)