Seoul—A Supreme Court panel has made significant revisions to sentencing guidelines, now allowing for life imprisonment in severe cases of organized fraud, including home rental scams and voice phishing operations. This move comes as a response to the increasing prevalence of these schemes, which often target vulnerable populations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Supreme Court's sentencing committee adjusted the guidelines during its plenary meeting on Monday. Under the new framework, the sentencing recommendations for fraud involving sums between 500 million won (US$364,830) and 5 billion won have been raised to a range of four to eight years in prison. For fraud cases involving amounts between 5 billion won and 30 billion won, the sentencing guidelines now suggest six to 11 years, while those over 30 billion won could see eight to 17 years, with the possibility of life imprisonment in the most egregious cases. "The committee considered the need for stern punishments for high-value fraud and crimes targeting multiple people, which create numerous victims and are highly harmful to society," stated the committee. The revisions also aim to limit the issuance of suspended sentences for fraud convictions and increase penalties for fraud involving professionals in specialized fields, such as insurance.
The revised sentencing guidelines are set to be finalized at a committee meeting in March next year, following public hearings and input from related state bodies.