Another Customer Dies at Seomyeon Nightclub in Busan
Prosecution Uncovers Additional Charges Through Supplementary Investigation
Co-defendant Detained After Police Rejected Initial Arrest Warrant
Nightclub owners who served fake whiskey to customers and then left an intoxicated patron on an outdoor smoking sofa, resulting in his death, have been indicted and are currently standing trial in detention.
On January 29, the Criminal Division 3 of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Bae Sangyun) announced that it had indicted nightclub owner Mr. A (40), who operates a venue in Seomyeon, Busan, on charges of abandonment resulting in death, coercion, and violation of the Food Sanitation Act. Mr. B (36), the co-owner who operated the club with Mr. A, had already been indicted and detained last December on charges including abandonment resulting in death; on this day, prosecutors added a charge of violating the Food Sanitation Act against Mr. B.
Fake whiskey seized by the prosecution from a nightclub operated by Mr. A and Mr. B. A part of the plastic wrap covering the whiskey bottle cap is torn. Busan District Prosecutors' Office
Mr. A and Mr. B are accused of causing the death of victim Mr. C (35) by moving him to an outdoor smoking sofa and leaving him unattended after he lost consciousness from drinking two and a half bottles of whiskey and one bottle of soju in just one hour and thirty minutes on August 16 of last year (charge: abandonment resulting in death).
Additionally, the two are charged with manufacturing and selling fake whiskey by collecting leftover whiskey from customers and reselling it without registering a food manufacturing or processing business, from September 2024 to November 2025 (charge: violation of the Food Sanitation Act).
During the investigation, Mr. A and Mr. B claimed that on the day Mr. C died, they only served leftover drinks from other customers, not fake whiskey. However, prosecutors believe, based on ledger records and other evidence, that fake whiskey was indeed served to Mr. C on the day of the incident.
Investigations revealed that Mr. C had become friendly with the owners after discovering he and Mr. B had served in the same military unit, and that he had frequently visited the club prior to the incident. It was also confirmed that the defendants exploited Mr. C’s tendency to drink quickly and become heavily intoxicated, regularly selling him fake whiskey and significantly overcharging him for drinks over an extended period.
On the day of the incident, Mr. B drank with Mr. C, and an hour later, Mr. A joined them. However, it was found that Mr. A and Mr. B barely drank any alcohol themselves.
Since the day of the incident was both a Friday and a public holiday (National Liberation Day), all the club’s private rooms were fully booked. When Mr. A’s regular customer arrived and no room was available, the two forced Mr. C, who said he could not drink anymore, to order an additional bottle of whiskey and coerced him into drinking half a bottle.
In this process, Mr. B used physical force, leading to an additional charge of coercion.
After Mr. C became severely intoxicated and lost consciousness, the two carried him out of the room by his arms and legs and laid him down on a smoking sofa near the building’s staircase outside the club. Prosecutors reported that just 27 seconds after Mr. C was removed from the room, Mr. A’s regular customer entered.
Mr. C, who was left in a place without air conditioning during a period of extreme heat, ultimately died of acute alcohol poisoning.
Meanwhile, through a supplementary investigation, prosecutors were able to uncover additional charges against Mr. B and successfully secure his detention.
The police, who initially investigated the case, applied for arrest warrants for both individuals in November of last year. At the time, the arrest warrant for Mr. B was granted, while the warrant for Mr. A was denied.
After receiving the case from the police on November 18 last year, prosecutors identified violations of the Food Sanitation Act by both individuals, and conducted searches and seizures at the club and their residences.
Prosecutors first indicted Mr. B in December and continued additional investigations into Mr. A.
Prosecutors analyzed the club’s CCTV footage and secured and reviewed around 1,000 recorded phone calls through forensic analysis of both individuals’ mobile phones. They also conducted interviews with the club’s waiters.
A waiter gripping a bottle of whiskey by the handle and entering a private room at a nightclub operated by Mr. A and Mr. B. Busan District Prosecutors' Office
The investigation revealed that the two had previously engaged in so-called "operations," overcharging for drinks when dealing with customers who came alone, were heavily intoxicated, or appeared naive.
They would collect leftover whiskey from customers into containers such as PET bottles, transfer the contents into relatively clean-looking whiskey bottles, and attach bottle caps with undamaged plastic wrapping to make the bottles appear new, selling the fake whiskey at full price.
In particular, to avoid detection of tampered plastic wrapping, waiters would grip the bottle cap with their hands and open it in front of customers inside the private room, deceiving them into thinking the bottle was new.
Ultimately, on the 22nd, an arrest warrant was issued for Mr. A, and prosecutors were able to indict him in detention on this day.
In Seomyeon, Busan, a similar case occurred in December 2023, where a club owner and a so-called "bouncer" conducted an "operation" on a customer, left him unattended, and the customer died from acute alcohol poisoning.
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