39 Koreans under probe for alleged fraud against Japanese imperialism victims

SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- Police said Friday that they are investigating dozens of people on charges of fraud against Koreans forced to serve for the Japanese imperialist military during the World War II.
According to investigators, 39 people created a paper organization last year in Seoul ostensibly intended to help the victims of Japan's atrocities during its 1910-45 colonization of Korea and their families.
More than 30,000 people gave a combined 1.5 billion won (US$1.38 million) to the suspects to register with the organization and cover attorney costs, police said. The attorney costs were to be used to hire lawyers for class action lawsuits and negotiations.
One of the main suspects was quoted as telling the victims that each would be able to get 20 million won in compensation after lawsuits or negotiations with the Japanese government.
Police booked the suspects without physical detention although they denied the charges.