South Korean arrested for trafficking Thai women for sex trade

A South Korean man accused of duping over 20 Thai women into forced prostitution in his home country has been arrested in Bangkok, an officer said on Saturday.

Kim Hyoung-joon, 39, is believed to be part of a transnational gang funnelling Thai women into the sex trade in South Korea, and his arrest follows efforts by Bangkok and Seoul to dismantle the group.

Thai police said Kim promised women jobs as masseuses in South Korea.

But upon their arrival they were instead forced into sex work by pimps who seized their passports and blocked any attempts at escape.

“More than 20 women have been lured by this gang over the past two to three years,” said Songsak Raksaksakul, the deputy director of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI).

“Most of the victims are between 25 and 40 years old,” he added. “Pimps monitored them all the time.”