Gyeongnam Police Arrest 9 People Operating Sex Trade Businesses in Officetels in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

Illegal Employment of Undocumented Foreign Women Expands to Jeolla Region

A group operating prostitution businesses by employing foreign women in officetels in Gyeongnam and Busan was caught by the police.

The Gyeongnam Police Agency announced on the 16th that they have arrested and sent to prosecution five people, including the ringleader, a man in his 50s identified as Mr. A, on charges of mediating prostitution and operating prostitution establishments, and sent four others to prosecution without detention.

According to the police, from February 2021 to November 2023, they rented officetels in five entertainment districts including Gimhae, Yangsan, Busan, and Ulsan, and employed foreign women who were illegal immigrants to mediate prostitution.

Cash seized from a safe held by a prostitution brokerage gang by the police.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

The group divided roles between the ringleader and local branch managers, promoted the employed women on prostitution mediation websites, and collected payments for prostitution services from men who came after seeing the advertisements.

The ringleader Mr. A fled to Thailand after his accomplices were successively arrested but was recently caught at Gimhae Airport security checkpoint while undergoing entry procedures.

Mr. B, a man in his 30s who expanded the officetel prostitution business based in Geoje area to Jeonnam, Suncheon, and Gimhae, and Ms. C, a woman in her 20s who supplied illegal immigrant women for prostitution, were also arrested by the police last month.

Inside the officetel where illegal employment of undocumented foreign women and prostitution mediation took place.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Police Agency]

The police applied for confiscation of approximately 792 million KRW in criminal proceeds from Mr. A and 189 million KRW from the other members of the group.

They seized 41.32 million KRW in cash kept in safes and applied for confiscation of an additional 426 million KRW in criminal proceeds.

Three women engaged in prostitution who were found to be illegal immigrants were deported.

A police official said, “We will strengthen crackdowns on officetel prostitution businesses that have secretly infiltrated not only entertainment districts but also residential areas, and will impose severe punishments through arrest investigations of operators and active recovery of illegal profits.”