South Korean authorities have stepped up efforts to break up an alleged international illegal gambling operation after three suspects were arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Investigators put the operation’s value at about KRW3.1 trillion ($2.3 billion), with alleged links to betting activity in the Philippines and Malaysia.
Two of the suspects, described as the syndicate’s alleged deputy and a software developer, were returned to South Korea from the UAE on Wednesday. Authorities are continuing efforts to secure the extradition of the suspected ringleader.
Investigators said the alleged ringleader and deputy left South Korea in 2016 and later used the UAE as a base to evade detection and move proceeds from gambling activities.
UAE arrests and cross-border investigation
A South Korean interagency task force, drawing on expertise from the National Police Agency and the National Intelligence Service, tracked the suspects to the UAE. The operation, named ‘Halak’—Arabic for ‘destruction’—was coordinated with UAE authorities and resulted in the arrests.
The investigation also connected the group to illegal betting operations in the Philippines and Malaysia, extending the case beyond South Korea and the UAE.
The alleged operation’s past marketing activity has also drawn attention. In 2016, BETEAST was promoted on Swansea City shirts and advertised inside the club’s stadium, when the team was playing in the English Premier League. Swansea City said the agreement was its largest front-of-shirt deal to that point and described BETEAST, which the suspects promoted as an illegal South Korean sports betting site, as a prominent Asian online betting brand.
President praises UAE cooperation
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung publicly thanked the UAE and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their cooperation in the arrests.
In a post on X written in Korean and Arabic, Lee said the suspects had allegedly recruited vulnerable people, including middle school students, and used third-country passports to hide their identities. The case adds a cross-border dimension to South Korea’s efforts to pursue the alleged operators and bring the suspected ringleader back to face investigation.
