[Report] Do You Know 'Daepo Killer', Full Hand in 30 Minutes

[Financial News] "Flyers? Haven't seen them in a while."
On the 15th, in the alleys of Jongno 3-ga, Seoul, where the temperature soared above 30 degrees in the afternoon. I thoroughly searched around utility poles, street lamps, and trash bags, but something was missing from the usual scenery. It was the illegal flyers, so-called 'flyers'. Mr. No (70), whom I met on Jongno Street, looked around and answered when asked, "Have you seen flyers recently?"
On the same day, I looked around the university alley and in front of the construction site at Sinchon, but flyers were hardly noticeable. Only tape marks were left on the construction screen that was once covered with flyers. A representative from Seodaemun Police Station said, "The city and police conduct joint crackdowns on illegal flyers regularly," adding, "Over the past year, flyers have decreased by more than 90%."
This change is due to Seoul's illegal advertisement blocking system 'Daepo Killer'. It automatically calls the illegal advertisement numbers reported by citizens, reducing the effectiveness of the advertisements. This simple principle of 'blocking calls with calls' has changed the scenery of Seoul's alleys. A representative from the city's Public Safety and Security Bureau said about Daepo Killer, "The reported numbers are checked for registration with the Financial Supervisory Service and registered in the system," adding, "Unlimited calls are attempted to the number, making it virtually unusable." According to Seoul City on the 22nd, the number of stopped numbers, which reached 6,173 cases right after the introduction of Daepo Killer in 2017, has steadily decreased, recording 1,374 cases last year. Additionally, from July last year to last month, a total of 473 numbers related to illegal lending and prostitution advertisements were registered in the system. Along with this, the city has continued to crack down on illegal flyers focusing on major downtown areas such as Jongno, Sinchon, and Gangnam until early this year.

However, illegal flyers have not completely disappeared. On the 16th, in Suyu-ri Food Alley. Several flyers were attached to air conditioner outdoor units and no parking signs. Even the flyers collected in 30 minutes filled one hand. When I called directly, the other party naturally responded, "How much do you need?" When asked about the legality, they either hung up saying "Let's pretend this never happened," or some continued the conversation by sending business cards and photos via text. Out of more than 20 numbers, only 3 were registered as official companies with the Financial Supervisory Service. In Suyu-ri, a densely populated entertainment area, women in entertainment districts were most easily exposed to advertisements. A representative from the Suyu-ri Women's Rights Center 'Boda' emphasized, "The largest proportion of consultations at the center is related to illegal lending," adding, "The possibility of lending damage greatly decreases just by removing street flyers."
On the 17th, similar traces were left in the used car sales complex in Gangseo-gu. Flyers with phrases like 'Card Loan', 'NO Credit' were attached to utility poles and traffic lights, and although the flyer designs were similar, all the phone numbers were different. Mr. Oh (55), a real estate agent nearby, also revealed, "It seems that illegal advertisements target sellers in need of quick cash within the used car complex." A representative from the local lending industry claimed, "Official companies have contracts with the used car sales complex, so they don't distribute flyers," adding, "These are mostly illegal advertisements promoted with burner phones."


Recently, new methods have emerged, leaving QR codes or social network service (SNS) IDs instead of phone numbers. It is also pointed out that while Daepo Killer can block calls, it cannot block texts. Regarding this, a city official said, "Currently, only phone number blocking is possible, but we are considering countermeasures such as blocking access or deleting servers for QR codes or link forms," adding, "Since it is difficult to crack down on all flyers distributed in real-time, active citizen reporting is necessary."

425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter