Busan police launch investigation into allegedly fraudulent AC installation company
Published: 23 Feb. 2026, 13:13
![A ceiling with a hole is shown in this photo provided by a complainant who claims that an air conditioner installation company cut contact with customers after receiving payments from them. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/23/a615986b-d63a-46e7-a9c8-56ed3042fa48.jpg)
A ceiling with a hole is shown in this photo provided by a complainant who claims that an air conditioner installation company cut contact with customers after receiving payments from them. [YONHAP]
Police in Busan have launched an investigation after receiving a series of complaints from customers that a central air conditioner installation company ceased contact after taking payments from them.
The Busan Geumjeong Police Precinct said on Sunday that the company reportedly cut off contact after receiving down payments and interim payments.
The company signed a contract with one victim in December 2025 to install a central air conditioner and received a total of about 4.3 million won ($3,000) in down payment and interim payments, police said.
The company only partially completed the work — drilling the ceiling and installing pipes — before avoiding contact with the victim and eventually disappearing altogether, leaving a hole in the victim’s ceiling.
The company was found to have posted promotional materials on its Naver blog, claiming it had installed air conditioners in restaurants and an employee cafeteria operated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
However, the cafeteria at the Oceans Ministry is equipped with standing air conditioners rather than the promoted central air conditioners, and some of the restaurants cited by the company were also found to have no connection to it.
So far, nine victims have gathered in a KakaoTalk group chat and have filed complaints with the Suyeong, Yeonje, Gijang and Dongbu Police Precincts. As additional cases may not have yet been reported, the scale of the damage may grow.
Police are investigating the exact extent of the damage and the circumstances of the case.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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