Three Men in Their 20s Who Hired Female Massage Therapists for Prostitution and Robbed Money... 'Suspended Sentence'

Threatening Women and Business Owners Over Prostitution and Illegal Stay
Court: "Defendants Still Young... Also Considering the Relatively Small Amount of Damage"

Three men in their 20s were sentenced to suspended prison terms on charges of calling foreign business trip massage women, engaging in prostitution, and then blackmailing them to extort money.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Three men in their 20s who threatened foreign outcall massage women by threatening to expose their involvement in prostitution and illegal stay, thereby extorting money, were sentenced to prison terms with suspension.

The Incheon District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Kim Jin-won) announced on the 6th that A (26), who was indicted for joint extortion under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes, was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year suspension, and B (25) and C (26) were each sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. The court also ordered probation.

A was charged with calling D (23, female), a Thai national working as an outcall massage woman, to his residence in an apartment in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, around 10:30 p.m. on December 9, 2020, having sexual relations with her, then summoning B and C who were nearby, threatening her with weapons, and extorting 200,000 won that she was carrying.

He was also charged with calling E (32), the business owner and driver who was waiting nearby, and threatening him as if to report illegal business operations to the police, thereby extorting 1.5 million won on the same day.

Investigations revealed that they conspired to extort money by threatening foreign outcall massage women and business owners with prostitution and illegal stay. They divided roles, with A calling the woman for prostitution, and B and C threatening the woman together to extort money.

The court stated, "Considering the nature of the crime, the culpability is heavy, and the circumstances and methods of the crime are unfavorable. The defendant has neither received forgiveness from victim D nor compensated for the damage."

However, the court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "Considering that the defendant reached an agreement with victim E, that the defendants are still young, and that the amount of damage from the crime is not very large."