The Korea Customs Service has formed a special unit dedicated to rooting out transnational crimes, ranging from drug trafficking and organized scams to illicit financial flows.
The emergency unit, called the Transnational Crime Eradication Task Force, is tasked with the interception of illegal trade, including drugs, firearms and Intellectual property-infringing items, at the border.
The new unit consists of two primary wings: a specialized operations team responsible for intensive investigations along with a support team tasked with cross-border intelligence analysis and exchange.
Citing the rapid evolution of investment scams, gambling and illicit drugs into organized transnational crime, the unit is prioritizing intercepting illegal fund movements and money laundering.
The KCS noted that it recently detected the use of shell bank accounts in the money laundering process of a Cambodia-based scam syndicate. To combat this, the task force is currently analyzing related overseas ATM withdrawal records and credit card payments.
In parallel, the unit is intensifying inspections of cross-border e-commerce transactions to block hazardous goods. Recent crackdowns uncovered counterfeit products containing carcinogens, such as lead and cadmium, at levels exceeding safety standards by more than 500 times.
The agency plans to bolster its investigative infrastructure and deepen international partnerships to strictly enforce safety standards.
Regarding financial crimes, the agency will upgrade its criminal fund tracking systems to cut off funding sources for voice phishing and gambling rings, while blocking the domestic circulation of counterfeit currency.
On the drugs and firearms fronts, the agency is shifting its focus to global supply chain disruption. Starting in 2026, the KCS will launch joint operations with nations identified as high-risk, including Cambodia, Laos and Canada.
“We will concentrate our agencywide capabilities, centered on this task force, to preemptively block illegal activities at the border,” a KCS official said.
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