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A man in his 30s who cut off parts of five 50,000 won bills, exchanged them for new bills, and then glued the remaining pieces together to create new bills was sentenced to prison.
On the 19th, Seoul Western District Court Criminal Agreement Division 12 (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (35), who was indicted on charges of currency forgery and fraud, to three years in prison on the 12th.
Mr. A is accused of cutting off five 50,000 won bills and turning them into six bills. At the time, Mr. A used the method of tearing the left, right, top, and bottom of the bill, replacing it with a new bill at a financial institution, and attaching the torn pieces with tape to make one more bill.
They took advantage of the fact that if about 20% of each 50,000 won bill was damaged, it could be exchanged for a new bill at a financial institution. However, banknotes that are not issued by the central bank and are made of randomly joined pieces are considered counterfeit.
Mr. A actually used counterfeit bills. After purchasing 3,000 won worth of gimbap at a restaurant in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, I was refunded 47,000 won.
At trial, he made a claim to the effect that “I didn’t know it was a counterfeit bill,” but it was not accepted. This is because more than 100 damaged 50,000 won bills were discovered at the gosiwon where he lived. In addition, banknotes were found where the area to be cut was marked with a sharpie.
The court said, “It is difficult to understand the content of exchanging normal, undamaged 50,000 won bills with engraved bills or carving them and using them for interior purposes,” adding, “The defendant has a history of being criminally punished several times for the same or similar crimes.” “Despite this, there is a high possibility of criticism because the crime was committed during a period of repeated offenses,” he said, explaining the reason for the sentencing.
Meanwhile, Mr. A was punished for forging 55 50,000 won bills using the same method in 2020.