Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Kazakhstani jailed for coercing countrywoman into prostitution
gettyimagesbank
By Jung Min-ho
A Kazakhstani national was sentenced to two years in prison, Friday, for coercing a woman from his country into prostitution and extorting her out of money.
The Gwangju District Court convicted the 39-year-old of forcing the victim to work in the sex industry in Korea and demanding $7,000 in “service fees” for helping her to find a job. He was also ordered to pay 450,000 won ($330) in restitution for his crimes.
The man, who was staying in Korea without a proper visa, lured her to the country with promises of a job working at a factory here.
When she arrived, he suddenly demanded she pay him $7,000, telling her to work in the illegal sex trade to pay it off.
His offense was tantamount to forcing her into “slave-like” labor and, for that, he deserved a heavy penalty, the court said.