Offering Free Trials to Female Bloggers Leads to Crime
Offending Parents Say, "Women Like It... I Have a Certificate"
A man in his 30s without a massage therapist license forcibly molested women under the pretext of recruiting participants for a free trial group. The perpetrator's parents denied the charges and defended their son.
According to a JTBC report on the 15th, on December 13th last year, the Busan District Court's first trial sentenced the man in his 30s, Mr. A, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
A man in his 30s without a massage therapist license forcibly molested women under the pretext of recruiting participants for a free trial group. [Photo by JTBC]
Mr. A opened a 'sports massage' business without a massage therapist license in a market building in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, promoting it as a place to manage body shape and obesity and to treat herniated discs, and is accused of forcibly molesting multiple women over two years.
He is understood to have committed the crimes by offering free treatment in exchange for writing reviews to women bloggers who came alone as trial participants.
Victim Ms. B, in her 20s, told JTBC in an interview, "He kept moving down below my collarbone," and "When he moved down to the lower body, he pressed the area between my groin, thigh, and private parts with his elbow." She also said, "He told me to come out wearing only a gown, so I thought he would only work on my back, but suddenly he told me to lie face down. When I said, 'My chest is exposed,' he said he needed to work on the front too and that it was okay because the lights were off." She explained, "But instead of just the upper chest, he massaged the entire area as if rolling a ball."
Victim Ms. C, in her 30s, received the same offer. She said, "'Your upper chest is stiff; shall I loosen it with oil?'" and added, "I thought it was possible that he might go deep inside the groin area during the massage, but I thought it might be something that can happen during a massage."
Investigations revealed there were more victims. Mr. A advertised on his blog that he was recruiting for a free massage trial group and forcibly molested multiple women several times over two years. He deliberately committed the crimes by exploiting the difficulty in distinguishing between forced molestation and massage due to the nature of the treatment.
The problematic business is now being run by Mr. A’s mother. She, who was also an unlicensed massage therapist, stated, "We did not operate it together; I did my part, and he did his. If something like that happened, I would have gotten very angry. Our son has a certificate. When you study at school, you get a completion certificate," insisting that her son's charges and the business operations were not problematic. Mr. A’s father also claimed, "He did not do it intentionally, and he might not have known if he touched those areas while working, but most women liked it," and "There were comments saying they received good massages."
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the business was registered as a free enterprise that anyone can operate by registering as a business owner. Mr. A appealed, saying the sentence was too harsh, and the second trial is upcoming soon.
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