Chinese Prostitution Ring Targeting Tourists Busted in Downtown Jeju

A group of Chinese nationals operating a prostitution ring in the heart of downtown Jeju has been apprehended by police.

The Jeju Provincial Police Agency announced on June 18 that it had arrested a 30-year-old Chinese man, identified as A, and a 30-year-old Chinese woman, identified as B, on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts.

Police recently launched an undercover investigation after receiving intelligence that a website offering prostitution services to Chinese tourists visiting Jeju was in operation.

After first apprehending A, who acted as a broker, police tracked bank accounts and performed digital forensics on mobile phones, which revealed that a portion of the proceeds from the prostitution had been funneled to B.

On June 21, authorities conducted a raid on an officetel (studio apartment) in Yeondong, Jeju City, where they arrested B and subsequently took her into custody.

Evidence of a larger criminal network has also been uncovered.

During the investigation into B, police identified evidence that money had been transferred to another Chinese man in his 40s and are currently tracking his whereabouts, as he has fled to China.

Furthermore, police believe a Korean man in his 40s orchestrated the overall criminal operation, including the creation and management of the website. An arrest warrant has been issued for the man, who has fled to Cambodia, and police plan to request an Interpol Red Notice for his capture.

It was confirmed that the organization had been operating a Chinese-language website until recently, advertising prostitution services in Jeju to attract customers.

In response, police plan to request that the Korea Communications Standards Commission shut down the prostitution brokerage website.

A police official stated, "We are continuing to investigate the flow of prostitution proceeds, the scale of criminal profits, and the relationships between accomplices."

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.