President Lee Jae-myung publicly encouraged public servants Wednesday by citing recent reports that voice phishing damage has declined, saying it is "truly fortunate that the public's losses have been reduced in such a short period." At the same time, he urged efforts aimed at eradicating the damage entirely.
On Wednesday, Lee shared on X (formerly Twitter) a news article reporting that voice phishing damage fell 45% year-on-year in the January-March period this year, with the result attributed to a strategy of arresting top-level operatives. "This is all thanks to the dedication of frontline public servants at the police, the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and elsewhere. Thank you for your hard work. I am grateful," Lee wrote. He added, "We will need to work a bit harder until the damage reaches zero. Our public servants will surely do so. I hope everyone will offer them plenty of encouragement."
According to the Korean National Police Agency, voice phishing damage totaled 170.2 billion won ($125 million) in the first quarter of this year, down 45.4% from 311.6 billion won in the same period last year. Analysts attribute the decline to a shift in the investigative paradigm, with police moving beyond arresting low-level members to directly striking the "core" of overseas bases.
Earlier, Lee had designated voice phishing as one of the "seven abnormalities" during a meeting with aides in March, instructing them to swiftly implement measures to eradicate the crime.
