Police say group sex participants unpunishable

The emblem of the Korean National Police Agency (Yonhap)

Police busted a nightclub in Gangnam, southern Seoul, for providing a place for lewd acts such as partner swapping and group sex last year, arresting the owner of the club and four employees. But there will be no criminal charges against the clients of the club as they were there voluntarily, according to local reports quoting investigators. The case was sent to the prosecution in October and is currently being investigated by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, they said.

Five people are suspected of receiving admission fees of 100,000 won ($78) to 300,000 won for allowing customers to engage in lewd acts at the club located in Sinsa-dong in Gangnam, Seoul, for about two months from April 2022.

The club workers posted articles and photos promoting the obscene acts through social media to attract customers.

Police launched a crackdown on the club in June 2022 and first booked three people, including the club owner, and later referred two additional employees to the prosecution.

At the time of the crackdown, 14 male and 12 female customers were reportedly inside the club, and some were not properly dressed. However, police ordered those at the scene to return home, and did not put them on the investigation list even after as they found no criminal charges to pursue against them.

The customers were all adults and there was no exchange of money or other valuables between customers, officials said.

By Lee Jung-youn(jy@heraldcorp.com)