Special codes of a prostitution ring in a Korean restaurant

Operating under the guise of an eatery, defendants established a system of code words like "eat noodles", "short time", and "long time" to manage prostitution activities.

On 17/4, Yu SungHo, 52, a South Korean national, was sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court to three years in prison for prostitution brokerage.

In connection with the case, Ngo Thi Ngoc Thuy, Yu SungHo's wife, received a two-year suspended sentence. Hoang Anh Hao was sentenced to one year, one month, and 15 days in prison, equivalent to his time in pre-trial detention, for the same offense. Four other accomplices received sentences ranging from time served in pre-trial detention to two years in prison.

Throughout the investigation and during the trial, the defendants admitted their criminal acts.

The indictment stated that in early 5/2024, Yu SungHo and his wife partnered with Hoang Anh Hao to operate a restaurant and karaoke business. Each contributed 3 billion VND to acquire the premises on Nguyen Thai Binh street, Ben Thanh ward, naming it G&G.

The restaurant featured 30 unlicensed karaoke rooms, eight South Korean managers, three "madams", and over 120 female hostesses. It exclusively served South Korean and Chinese customers.

The South Korean defendant addresses the court panel through an interpreter. Photo: Binh Nguyen

The South Korean defendant addresses the court panel through an interpreter. Photo: Binh Nguyen

Under their agreement, Yu SungHo and his wife directly managed operations, while Hao handled administrative procedures, paperwork, and local relations. The group hired an individual to act as the legal representative and recruited Lee Ji Hyung, a South Korean national, as general manager with a salary of 100 million VND per month.

Subordinate managers, including Kim Ji Hoon and Kang Min Cheol, received monthly salaries of 20-50 million VND. The group of Vietnamese managers, known as "madams", were responsible for assigning female staff to rooms for food and beverage service. These "madams" did not receive a salary but earned a 20% commission on the total bill of the rooms they managed.

To attract more customers and increase revenue, Yu SungHo, his wife, and Hao agreed to allow hostesses to engage in prostitution if customers requested it. They established specific code words for communication: "eat noodles" and "short time" meant 2,5 million VND per session, while "long time" referred to 4 million VND for an overnight stay.

When an agreement was made with a customer, the hostess had to report to a "madam" or a South Korean manager. If approved, they would be issued a pass for the security guard before leaving the premises. The group also created private Telegram and Zalo groups, such as "room booking", "management", and "G&G", to coordinate their activities.

On the afternoon and evening of 12/7/2024, two groups of South Korean customers visited the restaurant for dining, then requested prostitution services. The madam and manager informed the general manager, who approved the requests.

After payment, the customers proceeded to apartments in Thao Dien and high-rise buildings in Binh Thanh. The hostesses traveled there by taxi. Law enforcement officials raided the locations, apprehending the pairs in the act of prostitution.