Modern Korean Mafia

    The Korean Mafia operates much like other cultural organized crime groups. They have a structure of obedience and loyalty. They fulfill demands created by the public, but made illegal by the government.  The activities include loan sharking, prostitution, and drug trafficking.
    In Korea, the word Kkangpae means gangster.  It translates literally and is from deep in Korean history. Like other Mafias and organized crime groups, the Korean mafia originally formed from street gangs. As young delinquents grow and the gangs stay together, they need more and more money and organized crime evolves.  Traditionally, most Korean organized crime groups are based in Seoul, but their reach extends far beyond the capitol city of Korea.   Korean organized crime reaches into many American cities, and others across the world. These include mostly New York, Miami, and Los Angles.
    During the times of occupation by Japan, Korean gangs organized and resisted Japanese imperialism. They warred with the Japanese Yakuza at that time, and the conflict between Korean gangs and Yakuza continued for years.  With the end of World War II, Japan was forced out of Korea.  As when any country gains new political freedom, there was a great amount of political conflict as the people try to decide their new political system. The new government was called the Rhee government, and because of the lack of resources and the ruins the country was in, the Rhee government of Korea was forced to ally itself with organized crime to help maintain control and provide resources. The organized crime groups terrorized the Korean people, and following the election of 1960, the Rhee government was accused of election fraud and a revolt threw them out.
    Today the stereotypical Korean gangster can identified by short hair on the sides and long hair on top, black clothing, tattoos, and black luxury cars. In 1990 the Korean government declared war on organized crime, which resulted in the incarceration of thousands of mob bosses and gangsters. Korean mobs operate in cities and small towns still. They try to avoid police, and keep a low key.  Even though they are heavily tied to illegal activities such as extortion by offering "protection," prostitution, loan sharking, money laundering (ex. construction) and gambling they also have transformed themselves into legal corporations.

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