An online controversy has erupted after an Indonesian national believed to be working at a Korean bank was allegedly doxxed and accused of illegal financial activity, as tensions between Southeast Asian and Korean users continue across social media.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, the online war between Indonesians and Koreans hit peak tensions. Posts critical of Korea and Koreans circulated among some Indonesian users online, while Koreans hit back with similarly negative posts. As the discord heightened, Korean netizens began sharing information about a particular account that had been highly vocal with their criticism of Korea and Koreans.
Koreans found out that the account’s owner worked at a branch of a Korean bank in Seoul. The account owner, who introduced themselves as “Jia,” had previously uploaded posts appearing to verify their employment at the bank, including photos of an office desk and meeting rooms. Netizens speculated the individual worked at a foreigner-focused branch in Ansan.
Account owner posting their work information.
On February 17, screenshots of the account’s posts spread widely on X (formerly Twitter), surpassing 1.1 million views. The account, which used both Indonesian and Korean, has since been deleted.
Controversy intensified after allegations surfaced that the account was privately offering currency exchange services between Korean won and Indonesian rupiah. Posts reportedly advertised exchange services with user-set fees, accepting payments through apps such as KakaoTalk, Toss, and even credit cards, while instructing customers to inquire separately about exchange rates.
The posts also allegedly included offers to lend Korean bank cards for use within Korea, raising further legal concerns. If she truly had rented out her bank card, it would be equivalent to fraud. Online discussions quickly pointed out that unlicensed currency exchange activity could violate foreign exchange transaction laws, with multiple posts urging authorities to investigate and report the case.
The account was also said to have participated in recent online disputes involving racial tensions between Korean and Southeast Asian users. The broader conflict was sparked after a Korean attendee entered a K-Pop concert with an unauthorized camera, which led to waves of criticism and personal attacks online. Things got worse when Indonesian attendees misidentified the fansite. Even when the original fansite stepped up to clarify, they did not retract their accusations. Later, although the fansite issued an apology, heated rhetoric, including insults and discriminatory comments, continued to spread.
As the now-deleted account publicly defended anti-Korean remarks, netizens began resurfacing the user’s past posts. One widely shared image showed the user applying for a Korean government consumption coupon program, which drew criticism from some commenters who argued that welfare benefits were being misused by foreigners criticizing Korea.
With the account deleted and allegations unverified, the situation remains an online controversy fueled by doxxing claims, fraud accusations, and escalating cross-regional social media tensions.