4 Southeast Asian women held captive by sex traffickers on Jeju Island

A censored picture of the Southeast Asian women who were held captive and forced to work as prostitutes. (Jeju Provincial Police Agency)

Four Southeast Asian women were held captive and forced to work as prostitutes on Jeju Island, Korea's southern resort island. The suspects who allegedly held the women have been arrested, local police said Tuesday.

The island's provincial police agency said they had arrested four suspects, including a Korean bar owner in his 40s, his Chinese wife, and two of their accomplices. The suspects have been sent to the prosecutor's office.

The victims arrived in Korea in November for work, but they had been deceived by an immigration broker. The broker allegedly swindled the victims by promising them employment as servers at restaurants on Jeju Island.

The four women were confined in a basement studio located one kilometer away from the bar -- the front for a brothel -- where they were sexually exploited. One of the accomplices reportedly lived with them to monitor them around the clock. The police rescued the four women in March.

One of the victims managed to escape during the daytime on March 4 when everyone was asleep. She sought help from the police, who later transferred the victims to a shelter.

The suspects ran their business with the main entrance closed and the lights turned off to evade detection. They required customers to make reservations for sexual services.

The immigration broker had already left the country before the case was reported to the police. "The Korean police have sought Interpol's assistance in locating the broker," said a police officer.

Local reports indicate that embassy officials from the relevant countries have also visited Jeju Island to investigate the case.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)