A group that illegally collected and shared personal information of male clients engaging in prostitution using a mobile application (app) has been caught by the police.

The appearance of an application that illegally collects and shares the personal information of sex buyers. /Courtesy of Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency

The Southern Gyeonggi Police Agency's Crime Prevention Response Team stated that they arrested and transferred the app's operating head A (31) and Deputy Minister B (29) on charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on the Regulation and Punishment of Profits from Crime on the 18th.

They are accused of providing an app containing the personal information of male clients to owners of prostitution businesses nationwide from March 2023 for two years and collecting over 4.6 billion won under the pretext of usage fees.

The app automatically sends the user's phone number, visit frequency, reputation, sexual preferences, and police officer status stored on the owner’s phone to a databases. Currently, about 4 million phone numbers are stored in the databases, and the number of subscribing owners is estimated to be more than 2,500. Usage fees vary from 100,000 won per month to 450,000 won for six months.

A became acquainted with a developer (presumably Chinese) while operating a gambling site in Cebu, Philippines, in 2023, who suggested the app operation, and they planned the crime after agreeing to share the revenue evenly. Subsequently, they distributed and operated the app through Telegram while alternating between Korea and the Philippines with B and others.

A managed the app and money laundering organization, while B was responsible for dealing with owners and managing the revenue. They also commissioned a professional money laundering organization to cash out illegal profits.

After becoming aware of the app during a crackdown on prostitution establishments in November 2023, the police began an investigation and arrested 12 members of the organization involved in laundering a total of 160 billion won of illegal money together with the app's operators in May of this year (with 2 individuals arrested). They then traced over 50 dummy accounts and cash delivery routes for several months to apprehend A and B.

It has been confirmed that A and others lived a lavish lifestyle by purchasing luxury foreign cars and watches with their criminal revenue. The police plan to apply for pre-seizure and forfeiture for the 2.34 billion won in criminal profits from these individuals prior to prosecution.

A police official noted, 'We have blocked the app so it can no longer be used and will track down undisclosed mobile app developers in the future to impose a complete closure.' They added that measures to monitor and crack down on the increasingly sophisticated and intelligent prostitution-related industries will be strengthened to eradicate illegal prostitution.