338 Apprehended for Distributing Explicit "Female College Student Touch Room" Flyers in Gangnam

Some Offenders Had Been Previously Apprehended

The police conducted a focused crackdown on illegal flyers advertising prostitution, pharmaceuticals, and debt collection over a period of about five months, resulting in the apprehension of a total of 338 individuals.

On January 11, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that from July 21 to December 31 of the previous year, they had arrested brokers, printing business operators, and business associates involved in the production and distribution of illegal flyers, thereby severing the distribution network.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Vice Crime Investigation Team apprehended a total of 15 people, including 7 who distributed flyers in the busy districts of Gangnam. Among the 450,000 seized flyers were phrases such as "Female College Student Touch Room" and "If You Can't Touch, You're Not a Customer."

The police identified that illegal flyers, which had disappeared following a large-scale crackdown in Gangnam District in 2024, began to reappear starting in July of the previous year, prompting renewed enforcement. Investigations revealed that the distributors caught this time had also been apprehended during the 2024 crackdown.

According to the Gangnam District Office, the number of illegal flyers collected after last year's crackdown was 41,000, a decrease of 38.2% compared to 66,000 during the same period the previous year.

In September of the previous year, the police tracked down a distributor who scattered flyers for sexual enhancement pharmaceuticals at Cheongnyangni Station, leading to the arrest of the ringleader, a sales agent, and two printing business operators. In November of the same year, a broker and a printing business operator who facilitated the production of explicit flyers via social networking services (SNS) were also apprehended.

Local police stations and the mobile investigation unit also arrested seven flyer distributors on the spot. Additionally, 316 individuals who posted advertisements on streetlights and utility poles were either fined or referred for summary trial.

Furthermore, the police sent letters to printing associations and unions requesting cooperation in eradicating the production of illegal flyers and blocked 1,057 phone numbers used in the advertisements. Since the statutory penalties for offenses related to illegal flyers are not severe, leading to recurring violations, the police plan to continue their enforcement activities going forward.