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Teenagers charged for extorting noraebang for serving minors

Published: 29 Apr. 2025, 21:18

The Korean police's logo as seen on an officer [YONHAP]

Police have charged a group of teenagers for visiting noraebang (singing rooms) pretending to be adults and then extorting owners for money with threats.

The Gwangju Police Station in Gyeonggi said on Monday that it had applied charges to 10 teenagers, including a suspect referred to as "the teenager," for joint extortion under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes.

According to police, the teenagers are accused of extorting about 2.8 million won ($1,950) by visiting more than 10 noraebang in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, from the middle of last year until recently.

The teenagers allegedly disguised themselves as adults to enter noraebang establishments during early morning hours, where they ordered expensive alcoholic beverages or called for hostesses.

They then revealed that they were minors and threatened to report the businesses, demanding money in return, according to the investigation.

The group also reportedly intimidated owners by claiming to be gang members, rifling through owners' bags and cash registers to steal hundreds of thousands of won at a time.

The police obtained intelligence on the activities last month and booked the teenagers sequentially.

Most of the teenagers had reportedly dropped out of school and were unemployed at the time of the offenses.

The police sought arrest warrants for the suspects in advance, but prosecutors rejected the request, citing the suspects’ minor status and their cooperation with the investigation.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG [[email protected]]