Police raid ‘full service’ room salon for 2nd time

Police have again raided a room salon that offers both adult entertainment and prostitution in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul, that was once ordered to suspend its business but simply changed its name.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said yesterday it booked five people, including a worker and female hostesses from the room salon and male customers, without detention on prostitution charges Thursday. The police said they will request a warrant to arrest the room salon owner, a 36-year-old surnamed Yang, who refuses to cooperate with the investigation. The police also booked the owner of a motel surnamed Shin, 33, for cooperating with Yang’s business.

According to the police, Yang ran a 600-pyeong (2,372-square-yard) room salon in the basement of a building in Gangnam from January 2011 with 150 female hostesses and 45 rooms. He charged each customer about 300,000 won ($270), earning an average of 50 million won per day and 38 billion won in last two years, according to police.

Investigators noticed a passage connecting the room salon to Shin’s motel through the basement, allowing customers to surreptitiously change venues with hostesses.

Though Yang was cited for the same violations on Feb. 14, he simply continued business as usual while the Gangnam District Office concluded administrative procedures. The police arrested 12 people in relation to the case in February, including a 33-year-old manager and a 31-year-old hostess, both surnamed Kim.

“We have tracked down 12 room salons providing prostitution since June, but the one in Daechi-dong is the biggest yet,” a police spokesman said.

By Kwon Sang-soo [sakwon80@joongang.co.kr]