outh Korean man jailed for throwing fake money from apartment’s window

A court recently handed down a two-year prison sentence for a South Korean man for photocopying hundreds of counterfeit banknotes and gift certificates and scattering them through the window of his apartment building.

The 43-year-old suspect surnamed Jo has been found guilty on charges including counterfeiting currency, counterfeiting valuable securities and defamation by the Seoul Northern District Court.

“The nature of the crime is severe, in that (the defendant) infringed upon the credibility of the currency and valuable securities and their safe transaction,” the court said, adding that the incident led to a subsequent violation by a person who unknowingly picked up one of the fake notes and used it.

The court added that it took into consideration that the defendant is deeply remorseful of his crimes and that most of the fake notes have not been circulated to the public.

On Jan 15, the defendant threw a total of 288 of 50,000 won (S$49) notes and 32 gift certificates out of the window of an emergency staircase from his apartment building in Nowon-gu in northern Seoul. The investigation found that he had planned the crime, having made the counterfeit notes and gift certificates in December 2023.

His defamation charges involve distributing 58 leaflets with fake advertisements offering illegal drugs and minors for sex. The leaflets included the real addresses of his upstairs neighbors, against whom he has held a grudge for making what he considered excessive noise.

LondonGBDESK//