Seoul court hands down jail term to operators for prostitution of Japanese women, adult film actresses

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A Seoul court has sentenced the operators of a prostitution ring that brought Japanese women, including adult film actors, to Korea, marking the first time authorities have prosecuted an international network of this kind.

Investigators said the ring exploited Korea’s 90-day visa-free entry program for Japanese tourists to smuggle the women into the country. The Japanese women involved avoided punishment because investigators could not confirm their identities.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the ring's finance manager to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, according to court records released Wednesday. A day manager and a night manager received suspended sentences of six months and four months, respectively.

The court fined an employee 3 million won ($2,038). A hotel operator who provided venues in Seoul’s Gangnam District and other areas was fined 10 million won, while a customer who paid 1.3 million won for an encounter received a 2 million won fine.

The judge rejected the venue provider’s claim that he was unaware the hotel was facilitating illegal activity. The court cited text messages he sent to associates, reading, “Since there is only one woman, it can’t go well,” and “Is room 307 doing business today?” The hotel owner also cleaned the rooms used in the sex trade.

The court also dismissed the customer’s defense that he was simply having a “fan meeting” with a Japanese adult film actor. The judge ruled that the large payment and surrounding circumstances proved it was an illicit transaction.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s vice squad initially investigated the network — which operated through a website called “Girls from the Land of the Rising Sun” — and referred 16 people to prosecutors. Police found the ring charged clients between 1.3 million and 2.5 million won per encounter specifically for the adult film actors.

This case marks the first prosecution of an international network organizing prostitution involving Japanese women traveling to Korea. The Supreme Court previously upheld sentences for the ring’s owner and general manager in May last year, ordering them to serve two years in prison, pay 50 million won in fines, and forfeit 289 million won.

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