Dozens Come Forward in Job Interview Sexual Exploitation Scandal

A student was sexually assaulted and died.
Grieving families collect their own stories through social media

Additional victims who were deceived and sexually assaulted by a man who targeted part-time job applicants have appeared.

According to Busan Ilbo, on the 7th, at least dozens of people in their 10s to 20s were encouraged by a man in his 30s, Mr. A, to work at a similar prostitution establishment.

According to the report, it is estimated that Mr. A lured job seekers for at least 9 months until last June to arrange prostitution.

The family and acquaintances of B, a student who died by suicide after being sexually assaulted by Mr. A, collected cases of similar prostitution proposals through social media disguised as study cafe part-time job interviews.

According to the family, more than 30 reports were received stating they went for the study cafe interview but were offered other jobs. Some reports even included visits to problematic kiss rooms.

 

There were cases where victims were startled by the strange atmosphere and ran away, but there were also testimonies that they experienced sexual violence.

Based on the reports, Mr. A contacted women in their 10s to 20s through the contact information of resumes posted on online job search sites since at least October of last year. He sent them messages saying that he operates a study cafe in Busanjin-gu.

After confirming their location of residence and available working hours, he called them to the study cafe for an interview and then persuaded them to work at talking bars, room cafes, and kiss rooms.

Even when job seekers expressed their refusal, he convinced them by saying, “It’s not dangerous or weird,” “It’s just a level of physical contact like clubs or bars,” and “It’s just holding hands and wrapping your waist.”

Even after rejecting and parting ways, he continued to send messages saying, “Come and do part-time jobs,” and sent screenshots of conversations with other women, saying, “There are people who make a lot of money.”

One informant revealed, “I suspected that prostitution was taking place when I went to a kiss room by chance and found adult products and contraceptives, but I couldn’t even escape the oppressive atmosphere, so I had to listen to the explanation before I could leave.”

 

The testimony of the study cafe staff also suggests the extensive scale of Mr. A’s similar prostitution arrangements. The study cafe stated they only provided a meeting room and did not know the specific interview contents. However, the study cafe staff said, “He said he was doing business with friends and had been conducting interviews for more than 6 months, coming 2-3 times a week,” and “In their early 20s, there were often 2-3 young women. We interviewed them one by one and had conversations.”

Meanwhile, on the 6th, the Busan Sahagu Police Station arrested Mr. A on charges of sexual assault and prostitution arrangement under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment etc. of Sexual Crimes, Violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse, and violation of the Employment Security Act.

Two men in their 30s who operated a kiss room in Busanjin-gu and received women from Mr. A were also booked without detention and handed over to the prosecution on charges of violating the Employment Security Act.

By. Kim Min Jeong (wikikmj@wikitree.co.kr)