[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A teenage gang that lured men to a motel with promises of paid sex with a minor, then beat and extorted them in what is known as a "lumber bat" scheme, has been sentenced to heavy prison terms. The group extorted a total of about 50 million won ($37,700) from victims, at one point photographing their family contacts and identification documents to use as leverage.

The First Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court's Suncheon Branch, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Yong-gyu, sentenced A, 17, to a maximum of six years and a minimum of four years in prison on charges including aggravated robbery causing bodily harm.

Co-conspirator B, 19, received a sentence of five years maximum and three years and six months minimum, while C, 18, received five years maximum and three years minimum. D, 18, and E, 17, were each sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years. The remaining two members of the gang were referred to the juvenile division of the Gwangju Family Court.

The court said the crimes "far exceeded the level of ordinary delinquency" and were "highly dangerous and violent in method," adding that the defendants bore heavy responsibility and that no mitigating circumstances could be found in their motives.

The group — made up of high school juniors and seniors, a first-year university student and a high school dropout — were acquaintances from the same school network. On June 24, they used a chat application to lure a victim seeking a paid sexual encounter to a motel, where they robbed him of about 100,000 won in cash.

Investigators found that the gang exploited victims' vulnerability — having sought sex with a minor — to assault and threaten them, forcing them to hand over cash or even take out loans. They carried out five such attacks in total, extorting about 50 million won.

During the assaults, they photographed victims' faces along with family contacts and identification documents stored on their phones to use as blackmail material.

A had also ordered a fellow gang member to wear his court-ordered electronic ankle monitor on his behalf, in violation of a curfew imposed by the family court.


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