Seoulpa Rings

## Overview

Shattered, isolated, and small, all words that describe the Seoulpa Rings, but make no mistake, they're far from harmless. The Rings are a collection of (originally) Korean crime syndicates that operate independently in cities all over the world with a presence in North America, Asia, Europe, and virtually anywhere else where money can be made. [1]

## Structure

The Rings are smaller than most other syndicates and actually do not have a central governing body, instead, each Ring functions on its own while cooperating and aiding the activities of other local rings. [2, 64]

Within The Rings, the structure is fairly simple (partially due to the small size of each ring) with each Ring forming around a leader who recruits, traditionally, 12 trusted lieutenants which individually carry out operations, recruit other members, or leave (with the blessing of their superior) to form their own Ring. Rings individually tend to have around 20 to 145 members but are supplemented by local "front" gangs which work under one of the lieutenants often without knowing they are under the grasp of a Seoulpa Ring. [2, 63/64]

Despite their relatively small numbers, The Rings are both pervasive and highly lethal, as each member is combed and vetted thoroughly, typically being an expert in combat as well as excelling in another field such as magic, hacking, or cybernetics. Ring members are also always expected to have a long contact list of dangerous and useful assets that can be hired or deployed in Ring operations, should the need arise. Small numbers has its drawbacks though, so larger rackets are typically left to the bigger syndicates or, in rare cases, taken on by multiple Rings at once. [2, 64], [6, 36]

## History

A majority of this section is taken from [2, 60].

Many describe the history of The Rings as “long and distinguished”, however, the evidence is inconclusive. While The Rings bear similarities to various criminal and anti-government organizations from the Korean peninsula, direct connections between these groups and the contemporary Seoulpa Rings are spotty at best and nonexistent at worst, although some of the more traditional members will deny this outright.

The story of the Rings first begins in the late 20th century. Shortly after the reconstruction of the Korean peninsula, the countries of Korea became an economic powerhouse on the East Asian coast alongside Taiwan, forcing the traditionally racist Japanese (who considered the Koreans so inferior that economic benefit from them would be below them) to reconsider their unofficial ban on criminal activity on the peninsula. Yakuza forces infiltrated the Korean underworld and quickly took control, but their lack of manpower and need for loyalty inspired them to not only vassalize some Korean gangs but accept Koreans into the Yakuza even in managerial and administrative positions in the “new territory”. As time passed more and more Koreans joined the Yakuza, soon not only being tolerated but accepted as well. With the sparking of a gang war in ‘32 between the Yakuza and Mafia in Seattle, the local Yakuza branches found a small population of fiercely loyal Koreans who volunteered to fight side-by-side with their East Asian brothers and recruited them. Combined with the losses of Japanese Yakuza members, this made half of all Yakuza in Seattle Korean.

The influx of Koreans into the Seattle Yakuza disgusted many of the older traditionalists, especially Akira Watada, the oyabun of the Watada-rengo (the most powerful rengo at the time). Watada took it into his own hands and decided to personally interfere with and directly control any gumi (Yakuza “family”) lead by a Korean for fear that the Koreans would take control of the Seattle Yakuza. The Korean leaders were frustrated with the anti-Korean sentiments and decided to form “an organization within an organization” that served Korean interests in case of a resurgence in anti-Korean policies, the precursors to the first Rings.

The situation escalated as Watada noticed the recruitment of “independent assets” and tightened his grip, only causing the Korean leaders to prepare and recruit more forces, thus causing a dangerous back-and-forth as tensions mounted.

In late 2042 Watada had had enough. He issued a decree that all Korean leaders must swear undying loyalty to him as leader of the rengo, or suffer serious consequences. The Korean leaders of Seattle ignored the decree and continued preparing their own forces. By January of 2043, Watada kept his promise by sending a legion of Yakuza “shadow” warriors to assassinate all Korean leaders and their supporters, sparking a conflict known to the Rings and Yakuza as the “Schism”. A few Koreans were able to escape, but the damage was already done in cities across the world as Yakuza assassins killed many of the Korean leaders among their ranks.

Among those who escaped and survived the purge was Park Jai Kyu, a Korean oyabun surrounded by rumor and legend, undoubtedly one of the most famous and influential Korean oyabuns in the Yakuza at the time. Some say that he was half-Japanese and was spared, others say he had some form of precognition, and still more say that it was most likely just clever and paranoid planning. Out in the dark and without a penny to their name, Park and his followers split up, realizing that individuals were harder to track than organizations, and formed cells of loyal followers, the original Seoulpa Rings. This was also the first emergence of the name which is still used today.

Since the establishment of the first Seoulpa Rings the organization has spread to cities all over the world including San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, and Vladivostock with the aid of their Korean brethren, the Jo-poks (the criminal organizations from Korea).

In the early 2060s Hanzo Shotozumi broke away from the Watada-rengo, forming the Shotozumi-rengo and establishing himself as the dominant presence among the Seattle Yakuza. He extended an olive branch to the Seoulpa Rings on account of their mutual enemy, the Watada-rengo, but was only met with hostility and an assassination attempt. In retaliation, Shotozumi ordered the extermination of all Seoulpa Rings and assets, the aftermath of which left only two rings in Seattle. [4, 87]

## Culture

Trying to describe the culture of the rings is like trying to describe the culture of the entire UCAS, it'll obviously change wherever you go. Each Ring will have its own likes and dislikes according to its internal culture and leader, but here are a few general guidelines:

* Ring members use Korean and hand or visual signals important to Korean culture to communicate discreetly, part of their heritage as a previously Korean organization, but don't be fooled into thinking that their membership is only Korean, because to this group skill and loyalty matters more than heritage. This is the main reason why the Seattle Rings are also the only real syndicate presence in the Seattle Underground, their technical expertise and inclusivity of orks, trolls, other goblins, and even infected makes them a rare friend to the population below the Emerald City. [2, 63], [7, 85]
* The Rings don't get along with the Yakuza and go out of their way to antagonize or humiliate them. This can go from undercutting Yakuza products (sometimes even at a loss) to bombing and assassinating Yakuza assets, but they tend to stay away from all-out war. The persistent use of resources on fighting the Yakuza instead of on organization growth is actually one of the main reasons why The Rings are as small as they are today, especially in Seattle. [2, 63], [4, 87]
* The Rings are resourceful and adaptive, often taking advantage of cutting-edge tech, powerful magic, and even technomancers, that is, if they can get their hands on them. This even includes membership. It isn’t uncommon for Ring members to actually be cast-offs or betrayed former members of other syndicates (especially the Yakuza) that caught the local Ring’s attention, although initiation rituals are said to be… unpleasant. [2, 64]
* Due to their small size, most Rings will focus on gambling, hacking, BTLs, and drugs(both pharmaceutical and illegal) instead of trafficking or all-out warfare with other gangs. This also makes them very cooperative with one another but vicious and merciless towards other criminal organizations who encroach on their territory. [2, 63], [2,64], [4,87], [6,63]

## In Seattle

### Choson Ring

Size: (~150 members)

The Choson(Joseon) Ring is the larger of the two remaining Rings in Seattle and is made almost completely from hackers who handle the standard info brokering, identity theft and fabrication, and software just like any matrix-based org, but the Ring is also famous for their gambling sites, including the Anieyo Casino, the single biggest and best protected digital casino in all of Seattle. At the Anieyo anything can be purchased, anything can be bet on, and anyone can be found (ask about their BTLs, they’re probably the best in Seattle). I probably don’t need to say this but it's best not to misbehave while on the site, as their membership could easily brick a person’s entire life, not just their devices, especially since they have hackers tracking a person the instant they interact with the site. The Choson Ring values their privacy, so officially the Ring does not exist and nor does it own any property, instead meetings are held in their domain, the Matrix, where members spend their time on various Ring projects. Each member is, of course, expected to always have hired muscle on speed dial to take care of problems in the real world, or just back them up while they take care of said problem. This makes the Choson Ring a good source of work for shadowrunners who excel physically, although there’s a good chance the runner will never know who they were really working for as outside mention of the Ring is frowned upon. The Choson Ring is also famous for their cooperation with other criminal organizations, especially the Jo-poks, which typically means hacking support in their operations in exchange for muscle and magic for the Ring. Despite being about triple the size of their sibling ring in Seattle, the membership of the Choson Ring is shrouded in mystery with only their leader, Jong-Won Sung, being common knowledge among even skilled info-gatherers, most likely due to their aversion to meeting up in person and a bad habit of causing people who expose them to suffer from unfortunate “accidents”. [4, 87], [6, 36]

### Kumon’go or Komun’go Ring

Size: (~50 members, sources vary)

The Kumon’go Ring is the smaller of the two remaining Rings of Seattle and is known (or unknown) especially for their elusive nature and their ruthlessness in both business and combat. This Ring operates mainly in Snohomish, Tacoma, and Redmond and has allied itself with several Amerindian gangs (First Nation, Dogmen, Bloody Mountain Boys, and previously Ragers) with the aid of their leader, Chulsoon Gray-Wolf, a half-Korean, half-Amerindian descendant of one of the Schism survivors. They excel in organ-legging and are a major force in the market for all manner of mundane organs, as well as decent quality and lightly used ‘ware, and the trafficking of both humans and illicit drugs. Their muscle is notably in-house post-Schism, supposedly including flesh-eating cyberdogs, First Nation gangers, and the “Stand Over Men,” an experienced and extremely violent squad of cyborg soldiers that aren’t afraid of taking on even prosperous criminals. They also apparently move product and business through corporate settings, although which corporations is currently unknown. Since the breakout of gang war between the Mafia and Yakuza due to a bombing of Yakuza operatives, including an oyabun and sokaiya of the Shotozumi-gumi, at a casino (which the Mafia were accused of due to their heightened tensions with the Yakuza over the tempo market) the Kumon’go have expanded nearly unimpeded in drug smuggling, however, some individuals have dug deeper and found that despite a smattering of evidence towards Mafia and Yakuza responsibility (enough for the two to go to war in any case), a number of facts didn’t seem quite right: both Mafia (underboss Numbers Chiarnello) and Yakuza men died in the blast, the usual Seattle hitmen used by the syndicates deny any responsibility, and in the ensuing chaos the Kumon’go Ring have been quietly making a ludicrous amount of cash through dominant control of the tempo trade east of Lake Washington. Some would say that the Kumon’go were the bombers but, officially, nobody knows. [3, 13/66], [4, 88], [5, 105]

Their recent success with the tempo trade while the bigger syndicates fight it out has left the Ring flush and they are currently focused on expansion both in operation and number, however, their lack of numbers does mean that they regularly contract runners and other outside operatives for wetwork, smuggling, and any other jobs that would better remain deniable. Reportedly, The Ring has begun pushing mob forces out of Tacoma, even going so far as to offer protection to the mob’s favorite hangout, a bar named DeClerry’s, after which multiple gun battles occurred in the establishment, the results of which were a Kumon’go victory with only a single mob survivor to explain to his superiors what happened, until the mob gave up and DeClerry formally accepted Kumon’go protection for both himself and his family. Kumon’go soldiers have also supposedly attempted to claim territory in Auburn, although a unified front from the typically squabbling mob families has prevented any major footholds. Outside of Seattle, the Kumon’go Ring also reportedly runs and supplies shadow clinics as far south as Portland, relying on Dogmen smugglers to safely convey product. [7, 29/25], [5, 105]

#### Notable members of the Kumon’go Ring include:

The Leadership Council: there are 12 members of the leadership council, supposedly all handling a form of industry or (in the case of Tadji and Littletree) an important diplomatic relationship. Currently, only 7 members are known, but intelligence indicates that one of the members is likely a hacker.

Chulsoon Gray-Wolf: half-Korean, half-Amerindian leader of the Ring.

Ju Kon: lieutenant of prostitution and ‘wares.

Sutton Lao: a mudong (Korean shaman) and lieutenant of magic and magical contracts.

Kaz Yakamura: lieutenant of drug operations and the reason why the Ring got into the tempo trade.

Tadji: a former Haida activist and the Dogmen representative lieutenant.

Sally Littletree: a powerful shaman and the First Nation representative lieutenant.

Goh and Yeon Park: twin adepts sent to represent the Ring’s interests within the Dogmen and First Nation gangs.

Eric Kon: a cousin of Ju Kon who defaulted on his gambling debts which were bought by the Kumon’go. He is the lieutenant of treasury and handles money movement and laundering. He notably has surrounded himself with more unique bodyguards, including the Yee twins, famous for a string of assassinations in Japan, and a First Nation shaman, Booboo Littletree.

[3, 13/66], [5, 107], [7, 25]

## Trivia

* Seoul is the capital of Korea and Pa means a chapter or branch of a family from a region, so Seoulpa literally means clan or faction of Seoul and is likely a jab at the Yakuza’s gumi, a Japanese word for family or chapter.
* Choson(Joseon) was the Korean empire that laid claim to the entirety of the Korean peninsula before the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910.
* Anieyo (아니요) is a Korean statement of denial.
* The reasons for 12 leading members traditionally are unknown but could be credited to the 12 signs of the zodiac or possibly gye (계), a popular system of economic saving practiced by many korean immigrants in which 12 members all contribute to a communal fund which is given to a different member each month in order to help with larger purchases.

## Sources

[1] The Neo-Anarchist’s Guide to North America (1st Ed, 26, 37, 122)

[2] Underworld Sourcebook (2nd Ed, 60)

[3] Ghost Cartels (4th Ed, 13, 66)

[4] Runner Havens (4th Ed, 87)

[5] Vice (4th Ed, 105)

[6] Data Trails (5th Ed, 36)

[7] Emerald Shadows (5th Ed, 25, 29, 85)