Police crack down on production, distribution of leaflets advertising illegal services
Published: 12 Jan. 2026, 08:11
![Illegal leaflets scattered around the Gangnam area. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/12/6ae0dbea-2354-4717-b0ba-8cbaeefd0ab6.jpg)
Illegal leaflets scattered around the Gangnam area. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]
Seoul police said Sunday it identified more than 300 people involved in producing and distributing illegal leaflets advertising prostitution, illegal pharmaceuticals and debt collection services over a five-month period.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it booked a total of 338 people — including brokers, printers and business operators — for involvement in producing and distributing illegal flyers between July 21 and Dec. 31, 2025.
Police said they focused on cutting off the supply chain by investigating the entire distribution network and severing the links behind the illegal advertising.
The agency’s vice crime investigation team arrested 15 people, including seven who scattered leaflets in a busy area of Gangnam District, southern Seoul. About 450,000 illegal flyers were seized during the operation, police said, adding that some contained sexually explicit marketing phrases.
Police launched the renewed crackdown after confirming that illegal leaflets, which had largely disappeared following a major Gangnam enforcement drive in 2024, began circulating again in July 2025. Many of those caught distributing flyers were found to have been arrested in last year’s crackdown as well.
The number of illegal leaflets collected after the 2025 operation totaled 41,000, down 38.2 percent from 66,000 over the same period in 2024, according to the Gangnam District Office.
![A motorcycle rider throws out Illegal leaflets in the Gangnam area. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/12/d61a367f-b932-42f2-ac91-a909611cded5.jpg)
A motorcycle rider throws out Illegal leaflets in the Gangnam area. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]
Police also said they tracked down a suspect who handed out flyers for sexual performance enhancement drugs inside Cheongnyangni Station in September 2025 and arrested two people, including the ringleader and a printer. In November, police additionally caught a broker and a printer accused of arranging the production of sexually suggestive leaflets through social media.
Local police stations and mobile investigation units arrested seven distributors in the field, while authorities issued fines or sought summary trials for 316 people accused of posting advertisements on streetlights and utility poles.
Police said they sent letters to printing associations and related groups urging steps to curb the production of illegal flyers, and blocked 1,057 phone numbers used in the ads.
A police official said illegal leaflet offenses tend to lead to repeat violations because the statutory penalties are not severe, adding that enforcement will continue, given the close link between such advertising and other illegal activity.
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 HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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