Son Taeheum, 51, and Khong Minh Tri, 41, will be tried by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court for facilitating prostitution on 25/8. Son Taeheum has been sentenced to prison 12 times in South Korea for offenses such as theft, assault, traffic violations, and gambling.

Five other South Koreans and three of the restaurant's managers and cashiers are also being prosecuted for brokering prostitution.

One of the suspects at the time of their arrest in 2023. Photo: Nhat Vy

The prostitution scheme involved specific codes.

According to the indictment, after entering Vietnam around 3/2023, Son Taeheum took over the Goguryeo restaurant on Pham Thai Buong Street, District 7 (now Tan Hung ward), registering it under his South Korean wife's name. He also leased The Shilla Luxury 1 hotel nearby, hiring someone to hold the license for 5 million VND per month. In reality, Son Taeheum directly managed both establishments.

He recruited five South Korean managers, paying them a percentage of the profits or alcohol sales. He also hired Le Thi Van and Le Thi To Huyen as hostess managers and cashiers, with salaries ranging from 5 to 12 million VND per month.

Authorities determined that to increase revenue, Son Taeheum instructed the South Korean managers to allow hostesses not only to serve drinks but also to engage in prostitution. Customers would contact the managers for pricing. The price for prostitution was set at 3.8 million VND for an overnight stay plus 800,000 VND for the room, or 2 million VND for a shorter session plus 500,000 VND for the room.

The prostitution fees were included in the dining bill. Hostesses providing these "services" were allowed to leave early. After customers paid the entire bill by credit card, the cashier would deduct the prostitution fee and give it to the manager to pass on to the customers, who would then pay the hostesses directly.

Son Taeheum created a Telegram group connecting Goguryeo restaurant and The Shilla Luxury 1 hotel staff to facilitate room bookings. Daily, hostesses had to sign in and indicate their availability for prostitution using codes: "o" for unavailable, "1" for overnight stays, and "2" for shorter sessions. Khong Minh Tri, the hotel receptionist, would arrange rooms without formal check-in procedures, recording only the hostesses’ information.

The Goguryeo restaurant during the police raid. Photo: Nhat Vy

On the evening of 3/10/2023, police observed two groups of South Korean customers at the Goguryeo restaurant, accompanied by hostesses. After agreeing on prostitution services, bills were issued including these "services," totaling tens of millions of VND. The hostesses then left early for The Shilla Luxury 1 hotel, where 4 rooms had been booked.

Later that night, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, in coordination with District 7 police, raided the hotel and caught four couples engaging in prostitution.

During the investigation, Son Taeheum and the other defendants confessed to organizing and brokering prostitution. The investigation identified Son Taeheum as the mastermind, directly running the operation. The participants profited from percentages of the bills and alcohol sales.

Binh Nguyen