A man in his twenties who lured a female teenager to run away, replaced her cellphone SIM card to avoid tracking, and attempted to force her into prostitution has been sentenced to two years in prison. Two accomplices who helped the main culprit were each fined. They were found to have induced the teenager to run away and engage in prostitution to earn the money needed to open an ‘adult PC room’.
According to the legal community on the 29th, the 12th Criminal Department of the Gwangju District Court (Judge Kim Sang-gyu) sentenced Mr. A (29) to two years in prison on charges of violating the law on the protection of children and adolescents (coercive acts, etc.) and the law on the protection and support of missing children. Mr. B (26) and Mr. C (21), who were indicted for helping Mr. A, were each fined 3 million won ($2,532) and 5 million won ($4,220).
Mr. A and his party were brought to trial on charges of having a missing teenage girl, Ms. D, at their residence in Buk-gu, Gwangju, from July 12 to 16, 2022.
Mr. A induced Ms. D, whom he knew well, to run away by promising her that she could make money if she engaged in prostitution.
As soon as Ms. D ran away, Mr. A replaced the SIM card on her cellphone to prevent her parents from tracking her location and took photos to use in advertisements for prostitution.
Ms. D’s parents reported her missing to 112 when they lost contact with their daughter.
According to police investigation results, Mr. A and his party intended to open an ‘adult PC room’ with the money they made from forcing Ms. D into prostitution.
An ‘adult PC room’ provides adult web board games such as Go-Stop and Poker for adults. It encourages gambling by exchanging game money or items earned from the game for real money. The current game law defines the exchange of game money/items or the provision of prizes targeting adults as illegal (punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won ($42,200)).
The court stated, “Mr. A and his party rented a studio to use as an office for their prostitution business. After Ms. D returned home, they ran a prostitution business using two other women. The charges of coercing prostitution and violating the law on the protection of missing children are recognized.”
The court added, “Sex crimes against children and adolescents cause great harm to society and the victims. Strict measures are needed for such crimes, and the guilt of Mr. A and his party is very heavy. Mr. A has not reflected on his actions during the repeat offense period and continues to commit crimes and deny his wrongdoing, showing no remorse.” As a result, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
By. WikiTree
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