61 People Arrested for Advertising and Arranging Businesses on Illegal Sex Trade Websites

A secret office set up inside a delivery-only restaurant in a residential area of Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On the 4th, the police announced that they had arrested a group who created and uploaded 24 advertising blogs on famous illegal prostitution portal sites such as 'Opiguide' and 'Sexbam' to recruit male clients at this office. / Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A corporate-type organization that established an alliance between illegal massage parlor owners and prostitution brokers has been apprehended by the police.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 4th that they arrested 13 people on charges including prostitution mediation, and among them, the organization's leader Mr. A was detained. The police also arrested Mr. B, the owner of two large massage parlors located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, who were linked to the organization and mediated prostitution, along with 47 related individuals on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Prostitution.

According to the police, Mr. A and others are suspected of establishing a shell corporation from April 2020, creating and uploading 24 advertising blogs on famous illegal prostitution portal sites such as 'Offiguide' and 'Sexbam' to recruit male clients. They are also accused of guiding the recruited men to massage parlors operated by Mr. B to facilitate prostitution.

Police investigations revealed that they received introduction fees ranging from 20,000 to 60,000 KRW per person from the massage parlors and mediated approximately 18,000 cases. Notably, Mr. A and others demonstrated meticulous preparation against police crackdowns by equipping a secret office inside a delivery-only restaurant in a residential area of Gangnam-gu with evidence destruction equipment such as shredders and incinerators.

Mr. B, the massage parlor owner, was also confirmed to have operated prostitution businesses since May 2019 and used front men to avoid punishment and prepare for crackdowns. The building owner of the massage parlors was found to have conspired in prostitution by supplying contraceptives.

The police plan to pursue pre-indictment seizure and confiscation of the criminal proceeds earned through prostitution mediation, as well as the massage parlor building (officially valued at 11.3 billion KRW). Investigations will also be expanded to illegal portal sites and other blogs that posted prostitution advertisements. Lee Yang-ho, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Order Division, stated, "We will strengthen monitoring and crackdowns on online prostitution advertisements to block the spread of prostitution businesses using online platforms."

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