A business owner who operated an unauthorized escort service and allegedly facilitated prostitution in the high-tech district of Gwangju has been arrested by the police.
On June 28, Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station arrested the owner of the escort service in the high-tech district on charges of arranging prostitution and violating the Employment Security Act. The owner is accused of operating an unauthorized escort service that introduced customers to adult entertainment establishments in the high-tech district for the past decade and facilitating prostitution.
The owner’s escort service, the largest in the high-tech district, reportedly had around 40 hostesses.
Through a search and seizure operation, the police found that the owner had facilitated prostitution around 1700 times in the past four months, earning approximately $600,000 in criminal proceeds. The police discovered the owner’s illegal activities while expanding their crackdown following a murder case on June 7 in the high-tech district, where one person died and another was seriously injured due to a dispute over control of the escort service.
Twenty-six adult entertainment bar owners in the high-tech district are also under investigation by the police on charges of arranging prostitution.
The police are expanding their investigation to include the motels that provided the venues for prostitution and the backstage forces involved. They are also working to recover the criminal proceeds.
The head of Gwangsan Police Station, Kang Il Won, said, “The crime of arranging prostitution is a grave evil that harms society,” adding, “We will continue to track down and strictly deal with illegal escort services that profit from these activities and the forces behind them.”