The Korean National Police Agency National Office of Investigation (KNPA NOI) has announced the launch of an intensive crackdown exercise on traffic-accident insurance fraud. The new initiative will run through the next four months till 30 September 2026.
Police said that over the past four years, such intensive crackdown exercises have uncovered 12,902 cases of insurance fraud, leading to the arrest of 6,261 people, 153 of whom were detained. Last year alone, 2,612 cases were uncovered and 1,122 people were apprehended. Among those apprehended, people in their 20s and 30s accounted for 72.1%, which was the largest share demographically.
The NOI has designated 25 traffic crime investigation teams, currently operating at city and provincial police agencies nationwide. These will function as dedicated teams for traffic-accident insurance fraud. It has set intentional crashes, exaggeration of traffic-accident damages, and collusion by related parties such as hospitals and repair shops as key targets of the crackdown.
The NOI also plans to apply the Criminal Act's organized crime provisions, such as criminal organisation charges, to systematic fraud and impose tougher penalties, and to freeze criminal revenue gained through insurance fraud under the pre-indictment confiscation and forfeiture system.
NOI Head Park Seong-ju said, "Auto insurance fraud is a serious crime that threatens the safety of people's lives and bodies and increases economic burdens," adding, "We will respond more sternly to systematic fraud, including by applying criminal organisation charges."