![The interior of a massage parlor in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, raided in November 2022 for prostitution. This image is not directly related to the article. [North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/11/news-p.v1.20260811.4356b41935054df593da1b498553735b_P1.jpg)
Police have busted three corporate-style illicit massage parlors operating in the heart of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, detaining the owners and arresting more than 50 workers.
An estimated 10,000 people visited the establishments over three years, among them active-duty police officers, firefighters and civil servants.
Police rounded up the two owners and more than 50 workers on charges of arranging quasi-prostitution services at massage parlors in Chuncheon, KBS reported Tuesday.
Investigators found that the two owners had operated three massage parlors in Chuncheon since 2023, earning at least 500 million won ($352,000) a year over the three-year period.
The parlors were located within 2 to 3 kilometers of one another, allowing the owners to move between them for day-to-day management. Given the scale of the operation, police conducted a search and seizure in March — an unusual step in such cases.
The businesses advertised on websites that aggregate prostitution venues, accepting reservations only by phone call or text message.
Police confirmed the parlors had received roughly 10,000 cumulative visits, and said a significant number of the clients were active-duty police officers, firefighters and civil servants.
The two owners were taken into detention on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts, while 50 workers were booked without detention.
Police said they are working to determine the full extent of the criminal proceeds and plan to summon clients one by one, referring those confirmed to have purchased sexual services to prosecutors.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
