Sold to Over 2,500 Brothels Nationwide
Police Continue Investigation into Suspected Chinese App Developer
A group that developed a mobile application (app) for the illegal collection of personal information from men who used or contacted prostitution establishments and provided it to brothel operators nationwide has been arrested by the police.
According to Yonhap News Agency, on June 18, the Crime Prevention and Response Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced that it had arrested and referred to the prosecution Mr. A (31) and Mr. B (29) on charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds.
Mr. A and his accomplices are accused of selling a mobile app containing approximately 4 million phone numbers of men who purchased sex to more than 2,500 brothel operators nationwide from March 2023 to March of this year. Investigations revealed that the app illegally collected and compiled into a database the personal information of men who had visited or made inquiries to prostitution establishments. It was also reported that the group analyzed characteristics of the men whose information was collected.
Brothel operators who used the app were able to avoid accepting so-called "problematic" customers based on the information provided, and also evaded police crackdowns by checking whether the owner of a contact number was a police officer.
It was reported that Mr. A, while staying in Cebu, Philippines and operating a gambling website, was approached by a developer believed to be Chinese, who suggested operating the app, and they conspired to commit the crime. Mr. B, an acquaintance of Mr. A, advertised the app on prostitution-related websites and contacted brothel operators who responded via closed social networking service (SNS) Telegram to provide the app.
Mr. A and his accomplices also used a professional money laundering organization to safely handle their criminal proceeds. Of the total criminal proceeds of approximately 4.6 billion won, they delivered half to the developer believed to be Chinese and kept the remaining half for themselves. The group is reported to have led a luxurious lifestyle with the criminal proceeds.
The police have applied for pre-indictment confiscation and preservation of approximately 2.34 billion won in illegally obtained funds from this case. In addition, they have blocked further use of the app provided to brothel operators and plan to continue investigating the app developer.
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