Operator of prostitution site 'Bam-ui Jeonjaeng' says in court, "I want to be a proud father"

Over 7,000 Prostitution Establishments Brokered? Repatriated to Korea After 6 Years Fleeing to the Philippines
Prosecution Seeks 7 Years Imprisonment and 5 Billion Won Fine ? Attention on Potential Record Maximum Sentence

The operator A of 'Night War,' the largest domestic prostitution brokerage site, who was arrested in the Philippines, is being forcibly repatriated through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on July 22. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A man in his 40s who operated the largest domestic prostitution brokerage site called "Bam-ui Jeonjaeng" (Night War) was extradited from the Philippines and brought to trial. In particular, Mr. A is accused of running four prostitution brokerage sites, including "Bam-ui Jeonjaeng," from April 2014 to January last year, advertising over 7,000 prostitution establishments and pocketing illegal profits worth approximately 17 billion KRW under that pretext. The site has 700,000 registered users.

On the 24th, the prosecution requested a 7-year prison sentence for Mr. A at the sentencing hearing held at the Suwon District Court. Along with this, they asked for the confiscation of 5.088 billion KRW earned from prostitution brokerage.

Mr. A, who fled to the Philippines in 2016, was captured locally after long-term cooperation between domestic police and Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization). He was extradited in July and has been on trial in Korea since then. Before Mr. A was caught, a total of 2,522 related prostitution offenders were arrested domestically.

Despite these crimes, Mr. A pleaded for leniency in his final statement to the court. He said, "I knew it was illegal," but added, "I thought there were no victims." He continued, "I deeply regret my actions and want to live without shame as a proud father."

According to the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic (Sex Trade Punishment Act), if one arranges prostitution for business purposes, they face imprisonment of up to 7 years or a fine of up to 70 million KRW. Even merely advertising prostitution establishments online is illegal and punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

The sentencing hearing for Mr. A will be held on the 24th of next month. If the prosecution's request for a 7-year prison sentence is upheld, Mr. A will receive the maximum statutory penalty for prostitution brokerage and related offenses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.