Samcheok Police Commend Local Credit Union and Agricultural Cooperative for Thwarting Voice Phishing Scams
Samcheok Police Honor Credit Union and Agricultural Cooperative for Voice Phishing Prevention Efforts
On October 28, 2025, the Chief of the Samcheok Police Station in Gangwon Province presented letters of appreciation to the MG Saemaeul Geumgo Samcheok Dowon Branch and the NongHyup Dogye Branch for their significant contributions to preventing financial fraud in the local community. The commendations recognize the institutions' efforts in protecting citizens' assets from increasingly sophisticated voice phishing crimes and aim to further strengthen cooperation with financial institutions. The Samcheok Police Department plans to actively promote voice phishing prevention activities through close cooperation with financial institutions and strive to create an environment where citizens can conduct financial transactions with confidence. In particular, they plan to strengthen information sharing and training on rapidly changing financial crime techniques and focus on minimizing voice phishing damage by encouraging active reporting and cooperation from financial institution employees. A police official stated, "We will strengthen our cooperative relationship with financial institutions as a result of this commendation and do our best to protect the safety of citizens by making multifaceted efforts to prevent voice phishing." They also urged citizens to immediately report any suspicious phone calls or text messages to the police.
The award ceremony served not only as simple encouragement but also as a reminder of the important role financial institutions play in preventing voice phishing. Saemaeul Geumgo and NongHyup have been at the forefront of preventing damage by informing customers of the dangers of voice phishing and actively verifying suspicious transactions. In particular, in a situation where financial scams targeting the elderly are frequent, these institutions have contributed to minimizing damage by carefully observing customers' financial transaction habits and patterns and responding quickly to any signs of abnormality. In the future, the Samcheok Police Department plans to strengthen voice phishing prevention education and public relations activities through cooperation with financial institutions, and concentrate all capabilities to protect citizens' assets by establishing a rapid response system in the event of financial fraud. In addition, education programs will be continuously operated to strengthen the expertise of financial institution employees as voice phishing crime methods evolve daily. A police official emphasized that "The active cooperation of financial institutions and the careful attention of citizens are the most important factors in preventing voice phishing," and added, "We will continue to work closely with financial institutions to create a safe Samcheok City from voice phishing."
Meanwhile, a controversy has arisen as Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Gun-young claimed to have confirmed the Presidential Office's revision of the basic national crisis management guidelines on YTN Radio's Kim Jun-woo's "News Frontal Battle." Yoon pointed out that the Presidential Office had deleted the phrase "National Security Office - Secretariat" from the national crisis management control tower, and criticized that President Lee Jae-myung of the Republic of Korea was trying to evade responsibility as president and pass it on to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. According to Yoon's claim, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration began revising the guidelines immediately after taking office and finalized them in March 2023. He emphasized that the disaster control tower did not function properly during the Itaewon disaster, and expressed concern that the guideline revision could exacerbate these problems. The opposition party's criticism is noteworthy in that it may increase public distrust in the government's crisis management capabilities. There is a possibility that the National Assembly will investigate the truth about the revision of the guidelines in the future, and the government will have to provide a clear explanation for this. This controversy is expected to have a significant impact on future state affairs.
The government's official position on Rep. Yoon Gun-young's claims has not yet been released, but the opposition party is expected to recognize this issue as a serious problem and increase its offensive. In particular, the role of the control tower is very important in the event of a national crisis, and the controversy is unlikely to subside easily as confusion may arise if the responsibility is unclear. Some in the political sphere analyze that this issue will be a test of President Lee Jae-myung's leadership. It is pointed out that it is important for the president to take the lead in clarifying his position on this controversy and alleviating public concerns. In addition, there is a growing voice calling for a review of the overall national crisis management system at this opportunity and to establish a more efficient crisis response system by supplementing the shortcomings. The government should make efforts to strengthen its crisis management capabilities and restore public trust in response to this controversy. This will be an essential element for successfully holding major national events in the near future and protecting the safety of the people.
