Two Transgender Thai Nationals Arrested for Prostitution Ring, Earning 600 Million Won

Two transgender Thai nationals who were staying in South Korea illegally and earning hundreds of millions of won through prostitution have been referred to the prosecution.

The Immigration Special Investigation Division of the Seoul Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice announced that it had arrested and referred two Thai nationals, identified as A and B, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in late April and the middle of last month, respectively, on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act.

The two are accused of engaging in prostitution in areas including Seoul and Busan from January 2024 to last month, charging between 100,000 won and 210,000 won per session, and earning approximately 200 million won and 400 million won each.

Having entered South Korea in 2023 and remained as illegal residents for over three years, they recruited clients by posting advertisements detailing their physical attributes on websites for sexual minorities or by uploading self-recorded videos of sexual acts to their social media accounts.

They also evaded detection by requiring potential clients to send photos confirming their arrival near the officetel (studio apartment) before providing the exact room number.

The Immigration Special Investigation Division is currently monitoring social media and pornographic websites, suspecting that other foreign nationals may be engaging in prostitution using similar methods.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Lee Dain | Graphics by Yang Hyemin | Produced by SBS Digital News

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.