[Exclusive] Illegal massage parlor operating for over 3 years right under police’s nose busted “as soon as reporting began”

[Financial News] A police crackdown found indications that a massage parlor operating for more than three years in front of an elementary school in Seoul had violated the Educational Environment Protection Act and the Medical Service Act. A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building was also located nearby. After a reporter asked about the parlor’s enforcement history and other details, police conducted an on-site crackdown that same day.
According to Financial News’ reporting on the 8th, Mapo Police Station inspected Massage Parlor A in Dohwa-dong, Mapo-gu, on the afternoon of the 6th and identified suspected violations of the Educational Environment Protection Act and the Medical Service Act, among others.
Parlor A is located within the relative protection zone around Seoul Mapo Elementary School. It is less than a five-minute walk away. The parlor is also just about 200 meters from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Unit headquarters.
To protect the health and safety of students and their learning environment, the Educational Environment Protection Act designates the area within 200 meters in a straight line from a school boundary as a relative protection zone. It restricts the operation of certain businesses and facilities in that zone that could harm the educational environment.

The parlor was confirmed to have been operating under the same name since before July 2023. Nearby business owners and residents had long believed it was an ordinary massage parlor. Checks with nearby cafes and clothing stores found that people knew a massage parlor had operated at the location for years, but were unaware of signs of illegal activity. A Mapo-gu resident surnamed Hwang said, “It’s on a main road I often use, so I never imagined there would be a place like this here,” adding, “From the outside, it didn’t look much different from an ordinary spa, so it was hard to suspect anything.”
From the outside, it looked much like an ordinary massage parlor advertising “therapy” and “spa” services. Access to the interior, however, was tightly controlled, with customers accepted by reservation. After the outer entrance, there was another locked door; visitors were checked at the counter before being admitted inside.
Parlor A advertised that it was open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was open during the recent Chuseok holiday and reportedly took customers on weekdays, both in the morning and afternoon.
Reviews of the parlor continued to appear online until recently. Some repeatedly included comments on female therapists’ looks and bodies, descriptions of the massage process, and expressions that evoked particular services in a sexual context.
Job listings recruiting women in their 20s and 30s were also found, advertising high-paying part-time work that even beginners could do. Parlor A offered female therapists a daily wage of 500,000 won and advertised day or night shifts, live-in work, room and board, and the option to hold a second job. The listings also touted private showers, a steady flow of regular customers, “customer training,” and “black management” to screen out problematic customers.

The police crackdown took place shortly after reporting began.
On the 6th, after Mapo Police Station, the station with jurisdiction over the area, received an inquiry about Parlor A’s past reports and enforcement history, it launched an on-site crackdown that afternoon, several hours later. After checking customer arrivals and departures around the parlor, officers entered to examine its operations. Officers who had been waiting outside then joined them, inspected the interior, and secured relevant evidence.
Police are currently treating violation of the Educational Environment Protection Act as the main suspected offense. At the scene, they also identified suspected violations of the Medical Service Act related to unlicensed massage practices. After collecting statements from people associated with the parlor and relevant evidence, police let them go home. The case will be transferred to an investigative unit for further inquiries.
Police plan to investigate further to determine whether prostitution actually took place at Parlor A. Since online reviews hinting at sexual services alone are not enough to establish that prostitution occurred, investigators plan to examine the specific way the business operated and whether the owner was involved.
Police also plan to notify relevant agencies, including the education office, of the violations so that administrative measures can be taken. A police official said, “We confirmed violations of facility standards and indications of related business activity, and secured grounds for further enforcement,” adding, “Given that a place like this was operating near a school, we plan to take steps that could ultimately lead to its closure.”
Police cited limited staffing for enforcement against adult-entertainment businesses and the parlor’s tightly controlled operations as reasons no crackdown had taken place earlier. Mapo Police Station has only a small number of officers dedicated to policing such businesses, and said additional personnel are needed to separate people associated with the businesses from their customers and secure evidence at the scene.
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter