Man who copied 50,000-won notes to buy cigarettes gets 1 year in prison

A man in his 30s who used a color printer to forge 50,000-won ($36) banknotes and buy cigarettes with them has been sentenced to one year in prison.

The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 14-1, presided over by Judges Lee Hyeong-geun, Lee Hyeon-u and Jeong Gyeong-geun, sentenced the man, identified only as A, on charges of currency counterfeiting and uttering counterfeit currency. The sentence was reduced from the 18 months handed down at trial, but the court kept a custodial term. Neither side appealed, and the ruling was finalized Friday.

A forged six 50,000-won notes at his home in late August last year by photocopying both sides of a genuine bill with a color printer. He used the fake notes to buy a pack of cigarettes at a shop in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. Later the same day, he attempted to buy cigarettes at another shop the same way but paid with a real note after the shopkeeper grew suspicious.

Investigators found that A had been struggling financially with little income and carried out the scheme after watching YouTube videos about counterfeit currency.

The court said it took into account that A had apologized to the victim and reached a settlement during the appeals process, with the victim no longer seeking punishment. It also considered that the counterfeiting method was unsophisticated and the period of criminal activity was brief.