Bar owner sentenced to 18 months after getting customers drunk and overcharging them
Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 10:55
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[JOONGANG ILBO]
A bar owner in Busan, who got customers drunk and then overcharged them, has been sentenced to prison.
The Busan District Court sentenced a man in his 30s to 18 months in prison on Wednesday. The court convicted him of computer-related fraud and other charges.
Prosecutors said the owner defrauded three customers of 3.6 million won ($2,438) from May 18 to 24 at a karaoke bar he ran in Busanjin District.
According to the ruling, a worker brought the customers to the bar. Staff then urged them to drink hard liquor until they were highly inebriated. The owner then demanded inflated charges for alcohol.
The court said the owner obtained the customers’ phone passwords or unlocked their phones using their fingerprints. He then transferred money through mobile banking to collect the charges.
The court also said he mistreated employees. It found that he punished a worker for their attitude by making them step up onto a table and hold a plank posture only supported by their head and feet.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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