Police in Ho Chi Minh City have cracked down on a prostitution ring led by South Korean people in District 1 that provided sex services for foreigners only.

The municipal police agency said on Monday that three South Koreans and four Vietnamese involved in the racket were detained for alleged prostitution brokerage and asset misappropriation.

The South Koreans were identified as Kim Tea Hyung, 48, Cha Jin Young, 46, and Lee Hyun Jun, 25, while the arrested Vietnamese are Nguyen Thi Ngoc Loan, Le Tan Thanh, Bui Thi Phuong Dung, and Bui Duy Ha, aged between 34 and 48.

Police officers discovered Gallery Restaurant located on Bui Thi Xuan Street in Pham Ngu Lao Ward offering prostitution brokerage to foreigners.

Kim and Cha owned and managed the restaurant, which started its operations in late June 2022.

The restaurant housed 30 unlicensed karaoke rooms and only served foreigners, mainly South Koreans.

Female employees at the restaurant were willing to provide sexual services at VND2.3-3.8 million (US$97-161) per client.

The restaurant employed some 80 female workers.

After clients asked for sexual services, Lee would direct his Vietnamese managers to dispatch female employees to hotels and high-end apartments where the clients live to serve them.

The restaurant was equipped with an alarm system to announce the presence of police officers.

At the entrance gate of the restaurant were three or four security guards and four drivers. These drivers were ready to transport female employees to the prostitution sites.

The owners and managers of the restaurant made illegal gains of billions of Vietnam dong from prostitution operations, while the restaurant achieved huge popularity among rich South Koreans.

After garnering all relevant evidence, police officers raided the facility, discovering Kim, Lee, Loan, 52 female employees, 20 workers, and several foreign guests eating and singing songs.

Thanh was found colluding with the restaurant to introduce guests to its prostitutes.

Examining a hotel on Mac Thi Buoi Street in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, police discovered female employees offering sexual services to two pairs of South Koreans.

These South Koreans admitted to police officers that they were introduced to two female workers for sexual services at VND3.8 million each by Lee and Loan after having a meal at the restaurant.

Investigation results showed that Kim and Cha financed the restaurant.

After police summoned Kim for a probe, Cha ran away.

Police officers arrested him and his girlfriend in Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta on his way to Cambodia.

These South Koreans confessed that they had run the prostitution ring to spur the revenue of the restaurant. They earned over VND4 trillion ($167,000) from prostitution activities monthly.

Kim and Cha also admitted that they paid VND120 million ($5,070) to Dung and Ha to keep the restaurant’s business operations smooth. Dung and Ha had to work with competent agencies to reduce unexpected inspections.

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