A court has jailed three members of a violent South Korean gang who assaulted and tied up a family as part of a botched bid to steal money from an illegal betting site.
A branch of the Cheongju District Court sentenced the group’s unnamed mastermind, aged 56, to 10 years behind bars, the South Korean media outlet News1 reported.
The court also found two other men guilty of robbery and assault. Presiding Judge Kang Seong-hun jailed a second man, also unnamed, for eight years. The third received a seven-year jail term.
“The court must deliver severe punishment, as the defendants carefully planned their brutal crime,” Kang said in sentencing.
The development comes shortly after South Korean health officials revealed that gambling addiction rates rose for a 10th consecutive year in 2025 to reach an all-time high.
Violent South Korean Gang Acted on Convict’s Tip
Prosecutors told the court the attack took place on March 9 at around 9:46 AM at a private home in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province.
The trio broke into the house armed with telescopic batons and cable ties. They tried to tie up the residents, a family of four, with the ties and then assaulted the family repeatedly.
The gang demanded that the family reveal the passcode to the house’s safe. But their attempt failed when one of the family members escaped through a window and raised the alarm.
Police later apprehended the trio and freed the family.
believe may be connected toDuring questioning, detectives learned that the trio had acted on tips from two individuals they think may have connections with the illegal site.
This duo reportedly told the gang that the unnamed house owner was storing cash laundered from an illegal gambling site in his safe.
Officers have arrested two people, including a man in his seventies, on charges of conspiring to commit a crime and assisting an attempted robbery.
A Carefully Planned Attack
Prosecutors showed the court evidence that the gang carefully planned their attempted robbery. Gang members staked out the house twice in January and February.
A panel of judges said they had not handed out a longer jail term because the “victims’ injuries were not severe, the crime was unsuccessful, and the defendants helped identify accomplices.”
Online casinos are illegal in South Korea. However, illegal web-based betting remains rampant, with many patrons turning to crime to fuel their betting addiction.
