35 teens under police probe for forced prostitution, violence

Police in Gyeonggi Province said on Sunday that they are investigating 35 teenagers who allegedly forced classmates into prostitution or perform labor to pay for entertainment expenses.

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, seven suspects were indicted for violating the Special Law on Prostitution and Violence, while 28 others were booked without detention.

Between September and December last year, 16 students are known to have locked a female classmate at a motel in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and forced her to provide sex for pay. They arranged a phone number and received calls from customers, charging between 50,000 (44 U.S. dollars) and 150,000 won (133 dollars) for each tryst with the girl. The victims were allegedly forced to have sex 60 times for a combined 7 million won (6,173 dollars). The suspects also locked up four girls who refused to provide sex at a motel and beat them.

Police also arrested three boys and booked 15 without detention for allegedly taking money from underclassmen in a gang they formed in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province in 2007. Through February this year, they took 70 million won (61,728 dollars) from the underclassmen on 389 occasions for entertainment costs.

The suspects are also known to have used violence 63 times between July and December in 2009. Police are investigating if they forced 24 underclassmen to join efforts for flood damage recovery and taking the money the latter received.

dalsarang@donga.com