[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

Two Thai transgender women who illegally overstayed their visas in South Korea and earned hundreds of millions of won through prostitution have been referred to prosecutors.

The Immigration Special Investigation Unit of the Seoul Immigration and Foreign Affairs Office said Wednesday it had forwarded the two Thai nationals, identified only as A and B, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act — A in late April and B in mid-June — both under detention.

The two are accused of charging between 100,000 won ($66) and 210,000 won per session for sex work in Seoul, Busan and other cities from January 2024 through last month, earning approximately 200 million won and 400 million won respectively.

Both entered South Korea in 2023 and had been living in the country illegally for more than three years. They recruited clients by posting personal details and physical descriptions on LGBTQ dating sites and uploading self-recorded sexual videos to social media accounts.

To avoid detection, they required buyers to send a photo confirming their arrival near the officetel before disclosing the exact unit number.

The Immigration Special Investigation Unit said it is monitoring social media and adult websites for other foreign nationals engaged in similar activity.


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