Chinese national jailed after spending $70,000 with credit card stolen on Hong Kong-Incheon flight

By Phan Anh February 12, 2025 | 03:42 pm PT

Security staff checks a passenger in the departure hall at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, on March 17, 2020. Photo by AFP

A 52-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on Wednesday for stealing a fellow passenger’s credit card on a flight and using it to spend ₩100 million ($68,842).

The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the individual was found guilty of theft and fraud by the Incheon District Court.

The incident took place on a flight from Hong Kong to Incheon in May last year, when the offender reportedly waited for a fellow Chinese passenger to fall asleep before rummaging through the victim’s overhead luggage and stealing a credit card, along with $5,000 in cash, the Maeil Business Newspaper reported.

Upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, the offender met with two other Chinese nationals and used the stolen credit card to purchase jewelry worth approximately ₩100 million from stores in Seoul. The group then returned to China.

Two months later, the offender returned to South Korea and was arrested for stealing $450 from another victim on a flight from Hong Kong to Incheon.