Seoul: The national police announced plans to launch a comprehensive crackdown on organized crime and international offenses, focusing primarily on young gangsters involved in fraud and money laundering.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) stated that the special operations will commence on Monday and continue until October 31. The crackdown aims to target high-yield financial crimes, including organized fraud, illegal private lending, online gambling, and money laundering activities.

The KNPA also intends to address criminals who flaunt their illicit wealth online, creating public fear, and will work to freeze criminal proceeds in an effort to disrupt funding sources. On an international level, the focus will be on drug trafficking, particularly synthetic drugs like ketamine, and organized crimes involving foreign nationals. The agency plans to enhance its intelligence gathering within foreign communities and their workplaces, as well as in nightlife districts.

The initiative follows a significant rise in organized crime and international offenses observed in the year's first half. From March 9 to June 30, police apprehended 1,185 gang members and arrested 225, marking increases of 9.7 percent and 48.3 percent, respectively, compared to previous figures.

Notably, individuals aged 30 or younger comprised 63.6 percent of those apprehended, with fraud representing 42.7 percent of their offenses. During a four-month span in the first half of the year, police apprehended 641 suspects and detained 133. The total number of foreign nationals booked by police increased by 9.1 percent year-over-year to 18,130, with drug-related crimes seeing a 29 percent surge.

"In close cooperation with relevant authorities, we will continue to crack down on organized and international crimes and strengthen our intelligence gathering," the KNPA affirmed.