Daegu District Prosecutors' Office Indicts Four Men and Women in Their 20s on Charges of Forced Prostitution
"Providing Lodging and Jobs" Deception Used to Coerce Sex Work
Four individuals in their 20s, including a man who assaulted his wife and forced her into prostitution, have been brought to trial.
The Daegu District Prosecutors' Office's Women and Children Crime Investigation Division (Chief Prosecutor Choi Hee-jung) arrested and indicted four men and women in their 20s, including woman A and man B, on charges of enticing women with lodging and job offers to force them into prostitution and embezzling about 100 million won in prostitution proceeds (violation of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic), according to Yonhap News on the 19th.
From September 2022 to last August, A and others moved between apartments in the Daegu area, repeatedly assaulting and threatening two victims, women C and D, who lived with them, and forcing them into prostitution over 1,000 times. A’s group is also accused of extorting about 100 million won earned by the two women through prostitution.
Investigations revealed that defendant B was actually married to victim C. It was also reported that the couple had a young daughter. However, B, along with accomplices, assaulted his wife and forced her into prostitution. Furthermore, it was uncovered that B filed for divorce from C to receive single-parent child support benefits while designating himself as the legal guardian and custodian.
Additionally, A extorted about 100 million won from the parents of another victim, D, under the pretext of hospital fees and other expenses. One male accomplice was found to have falsely registered a marriage with D during the investigation to obtain a newlywed couple’s rental deposit loan. A lived in the same apartment as victims C and D and psychologically dominated them.
In 2022, A met the victims while visiting a restaurant where an acquaintance worked. At the time, C and D were in financial difficulties, and A gained their trust by giving them milk money, pocket money, and buying meals. After getting close to them, A deceived them by promising to provide jobs and lodging, then forced them into prostitution. One of the victims attempted to escape twice but was caught and confined again due to a mobile phone location tracking application.
The prosecution requested legal support through the Korea Domestic Violence Counseling Center for C to restore parental rights and custody designation, and for D, who was falsely registered as married, to file a lawsuit to annul the marriage. They also decided to provide living expenses and psychological counseling for the victims. A Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office official stated, "We will devote all efforts to maintaining the prosecution to ensure strict punishment for crimes that threaten human dignity and physical safety."
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