Police in northeastern China's border prefecture Yanbian said Friday they have detained two hackers who stole 450 million won (about 362,000 U.S. dollars) from online accounts at the Republic of Korea banks.

The case involved the largest amount of money of its kind in China, said the public security bureau at a press conference in Yanbian, which borders with the DPRK in China's Jilin Province.

The two suspects, surnamed Piao and Jin, allegedly stole money from the online accounts of 86 nationals of the Republic of Korea at Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank and other banks since March 24, 2008.

The bureau did not release their full names.

Piao and Jin, both aged 27, were residents in Yanji, capital city of the prefecture. They were detained by local police on June 16 and 27, respectively. They transferred the stolen money through foreign exchange brokers into a bank in Yanbian.

South Korean police investigating the case turned to their Chinese counterparts for help in May, said Li Zongqin, deputy director of the Yanbian public security bureau.

"We located the place where the suspects carried out their hacking practices and identified them after an investigation in the neighborhood," said Li.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2009)