South Korean Bank Employee Stole $287K to Fuel Gambling Habit

A court has jailed a former South Korean bank employee who stole over $287,000 worth of banknotes to fuel a gambling habit.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the Criminal Division of the Chuncheon District Court sentenced the unnamed individual to eight months in prison.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Song Jong-hwan, said that the amount of money stolen from their former employer was “significant.”

Korean Bank Employee ‘Stuffed Bundles of USD Bills Into Coat Pockets’

The court heard that the 46-year-old former staffer stuffed high-value notes into their socks, coat, and other garments while working at the bank.

The bank in question is located in the town of Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, to the southeast of Chuncheon.

Prosecutors explained that the individual stole approximately 212 million won ($152,509) in cash on six separate occasions in December 2024.

Prosecution officials presented proof of the individual taking bundles of 50,000 won bills from the bank’s vault and then stuffing the notes into their socks.

The former staffer embezzled a total of 391.33 million won, the court heard. This number includes 150 million won ($107,907) worth of bank money stolen from the staffer’s former office.

The individual also pocketed $20,000 in US dollar bills, putting the notes into paper bags and coat pockets.

The ex-employee has paid the bank back part of the stolen money, but lost huge sums on gambling platforms.

Court Shows Leniency After Defendant Stops Gambling

Justice Song explained, in sentencing: “The defendant only repaid 5 million won ($3,597), leaving the bank to cover the entirety of the remaining damages.”

The judge stated that the court had shown leniency, as the defendant had no prior criminal record.

Justice Song also noted that the defendant had also “made efforts to stop gambling, which was the main cause of the crime.”

Several character witnesses also presented evidence at the trial. The judge said the court had taken their testimony into account.

Earlier this month, Kangwon Land, the operator of the only domestic passport holder-admitting casino in the country, said it was fighting back against deepfake gambling ads.

Police explained that an illegal gambling operator has created a bogus Kangwon Land app and used AI-powered deepfake videos of celebrities like Son Heung-min to promote their platform.

The operator also utilized AI to create the illusion that Kangwon Land officials were endorsing their app.