Two unnamed South Korean computer programmers have been arrested on suspicion of sending out 1.6 billion spam e-mail messages between September and December last year in violation of the country"s commerce laws. The two men, one aged 20 and the other 26, are suspected of obtaining personal and financial data from 12,000 South Koreans who responded to their spam messages and then selling that information to lending services firms in return for 100 million won ($106,400). Police said they will soon turn over evidence on the pair to prosecutors who will then tell the court what sort of criminal penalties they are seeking against the duo.
"This kind of spam mailing is causing enormous problems in South Korea and we think these two are responsible for some of the biggest abuses," a police official said by telephone.