Organ-sale scam in South Korea
South Korean police have arrested a man who conned tens of thousands of dollars out of people who agreed to sell their bodily organs for cash.
The man identified as Cho, posted advertisements offering to buy people's organs, in subways, bus stops and hospital toilets in Seoul and the neighbouring province of Kyonggi-Do, according to a report in a South Korean newspaper.
The report in JoongAng said 94 people responded to the advertisements, and most of them were heavily in debt, unemployed or homeless.
After making contact, Cho would demand from 400,000 won to 700,000 won (HK$2,660 to $4,660) for medical tests before the organ donation.
He is said to have collected about US$35,000 in total from his victims over the space of six months.
One unemployed man, who had debts of 50 million won and whose house had been repossessed by the bank, was told by Cho that he would receive 50 million won for one of his kidneys and 80 million won for his liver.
Cho told the unemployed man to deposit 70,000 won into a bank account to cover medical tests on his organs. The man did this using money borrowed from friends.
Following his arrest, Cho said he was copying a hoax which had been played on him.
'In 2002, I was swindled by a fraudster who said he would sell my organs, so I decided to use the same method,' he is reported to have told police.
'Dozens of calls came every day from people who wanted to sell their organs,' he added.
This is not the first time stories of organ-selling have emerged in the South Korean media.
Despite being a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Korea has pockets of great poverty anda limited social welfare system, and in recent years the gap between the rich and poor has been rising steadily, placing great pressure on the poorest in society.
'More people are trying to sell their organs these days,' policeman Kim Heon-gi said.
'It may be because of the poor economy.'
