Thai woman detained for brokering Thai women to massage parlors

By Jung Hae-myoung

A Thai woman was detained for allegedly brokering dozens of Thai women to massage parlors in Korea, the Korea Immigration Service said, Thursday.

The immigration office sent the case to the prosecution, requesting arrest and indictment.

The woman, 30, whose name was withheld, allegedly brokered dozens of Thai women, who came to the country under a visa waiver program for tourists, to work in massage parlors from September 2017 to May this year.

She conspired with a 33-year-old Korean man surnamed Hwang. They received 1.5 million won ($1,300) from each of the Thai women for “introducing jobs” and 500,000 to 1.1 million won from the parlor owners.

To stay in the country, the broker filed a fake marriage registration with a 51-year-old Korean man, Kwak, after paying him 8.6 million won.

The police also sent the cases of Hwang and Kwak to the prosecution without requesting detention.

This year, the immigration office detected 81 people involved in illegal immigration schemes, with 16 of them being arrested.

According to a visa agreement, Thai people are allowed to stay in Korea for up to 90 days without a visa.