"Double Your Principal with Bitcoin Investments"—Man in His 40s Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Over 200 Million Won Through Saju Readings

A man in his 40s who approached victims by offering Saju (Four Pillars of Destiny) readings and defrauded them of over 200 million won under the pretense of Bitcoin (BTC) investments has been sentenced to prison.
According to the legal community on the 28th, the Seoul Northern District Court's Criminal Division 5, presided over by Judge Kwon So-young, sentenced Mr. A (49) to two years in prison on fraud charges on the 11th.
Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of receiving and pocketing 240 million won from two victims between December 2023 and May of this year.
He reportedly approached the victims through online portals, offering Saju, compatibility, and psychological counseling, and built rapport before committing the crime.
Mr. A deceived the victims by promising to guarantee both principal and profits. He repeatedly lied, saying, "If you deposit 50 million won, I will return about 100 million won in a month," "A producer from a famous Current Affairs Program on terrestrial broadcasting has established an Asset Management Company for professional investments," and "This is such a good opportunity that it’s worth taking out a loan to invest."
It was determined that he neither intended nor was able to return the promised amounts. Instead of investing the money in BTC, he planned to use it for personal purposes.
The court stated, "The total amount defrauded is approximately 240 million won, which is substantial," adding, "The losses have not been recovered, and the victims are requesting severe punishment."
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter