The Korea Herald

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Gang member found dead amid probe for assault on YouTuber

By Yoon Min-sik

Published : March 3, 2024 - 11:39

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(Herald DB) (Herald DB)

A member of a South Korean gang who was under investigation for instigating an assault on a YouTuber has been found dead, a local media outlet reported Sunday.

The body of the 30-something-year-old suspect was found inside a motel in Gyeonggi Province, according to a Channel A report. The man was being investigated by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on suspicion of instigating an attack against a YouTuber who uploaded critical content about his organization.

Police did not disclose details surrounding the death of the suspect, who had snubbed a court order to attend a hearing on his arrest warrant application. He reportedly told his family shortly before his death, that "this time, it seems unlikely I'll get out" of prison.

Investigators believe that he and two other gangsters ordered the attack against the YouTuber in September last year.

The suspect and a total of five other gang members are being accused of special bodily injury on another, or instigating such an act, both punishable by up to 10 years in prison. According to Article 31 of the Criminal Act, a person instigating another to commit a crime can be subject to the same degree of punishment as the actual perpetrator of the crime.

The incident stood out from other gang-related incidents in the past, in that those who ordered the attack were members of a different faction than the ones who carried it out.

Last year, the prosecution announced that they believe the younger generation of gangsters are holding regular cross-faction meetings. They are believed to be cooperating and interacting based on their common interests, rather than on their traditional factors.