Renowned pianist fined $720 for paying for prostitution at massage parlor

Seoul Central District Court / Newsis

A renowned pianist has been fined 1 million won ($720) in a trial for paying in prostitution at a massage parlor.

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday found the pianist guilty of violating the Act on the Punishment of the Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts.

During the trial, the pianist argued that the recorded evidence of the incident had been obtained illegally, but the court rejected the claim.

“The investigative agency obtained the data from the defendant’s mobile phone under a valid warrant," the bench ruled. "It appears that the defendant provided the phone’s password to the victim, who then acquired the data, and since the investigative agency later secured a lawful warrant to collect the audio recording file, the evidence cannot be deemed illegally obtained.”

The pianist, who has won multiple prizes at prestigious international piano competitions, was accused of paying for sex with a massage parlor employee in Seoul’s Gangnam District in 2020.

In November last year, prosecutors summarily indicted him on a fine of 2 million won, and the court issued a summary order for the same amount the following month.

However, he contested the decision and requested a formal trial. A summary order is a procedure that imposes fines or penalties without a trial, but the accused may file for a formal trial within a week of receiving the order.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.