Reflections on the Burning Sun case - how can we prevent and catch the organisers of a sex trafficking ring?
In the past week, I watched a video breaking down the case of the Burning Sun sex trafficking ring. Although I had heard about the case when news of it broke a few years ago, I never knew all the details. I decided to delve into the nitty-gritty of the case to understand what had transpired from the beginning until now. It was an eye-opening exploration that showed me how deep the poison spread. I discovered how deep all of the convicted perpetrators had chosen to entrench themselves in the operations of the "business" and how some of them played the cards they were dealt when it came to the punishments they were given.
If you want to learn more about the background of the case before reading further, I highly recommend checking out Rotten Mango Podcasts' video on it (linked below in Sources) or browsing online for a quick summary of what happened and why it became such a high-profile case.
While I will summarize some of it further in the article, I prefer to focus on and examine some of the components of the criminal operation. I will explore how authorities, those involved in the supply and demand of criminal activities, and those in power chose to operate in response to multiple claims of sexual assault and drugging, and discuss potential measures to prevent and stop such heinous acts in the future.
If you wish to come back later after learning a bit more about the case, I encourage you to do so. Otherwise, let's dive into it.
So back in the day when this case made headlines (in 2019), I had heard that some well-known K-Pop stars either partook in the activities or had a hand in running a prostitution and drug operation within a very famous nightclub called Burning Sun. Around the same time, or maybe even earlier, I also heard that another famous K-Rock musician, Jung Joon Young (JJY), whom I used to be a fan of, was arrested and convicted to serve 6 years in prison for filming women naked and engaging in sexual acts while unconscious or non-consenting. However, the Rotten Mango Podcast video illuminated to me that this arrest of JJY was, in fact, related to the activities going on behind the scenes (and somewhat out in the open) at the Burning Sun nightclub. This highlighted how extensive these sickening activities were and how many men were included in the illicit chat groups, allowing this activity to carry on for years without being reported to the police.
Another incredible fact I discovered was that the initial reports of the criminal activity to the police date back to 2016. However, these initial police reports fell through because the perpetrators (nepobabies, entertainment stars, politicians, etc.) were able to wield their wealth and power to make the allegations go away and not be a hindrance to them and their lifestyle. However, their undoing came at the hands of one of the data forensics professionals who was assisting the police with the investigation before it was shut down. He copied all the data he could scrub from the perpetrators' devices available to his team and ended up releasing the incriminating content of the chat groups online for everyone to see. This finally shed light on what had been going on, who was involved, and who was calling the shots of the operation - this happened three years later.
Back in 2019, I had thought that the case made headlines because prostitution and drug dealing was happening at the Burning Sun club, and the public was appalled that so many big names in the South Korean entertainment industry had their hands in the pie, and were wanting to know the truth about whether Seungri of the K-Pop group Big Bang knew about the illegal activities taking place at the club he invested in.
What I did not know was that the seemingly legit nightclub business was, in fact, a cover for a sex trafficking ring that was making investors and the higher-ups in the business (42% of shares were owned by the hotel that the club was located in, 8% was owned by the hotel chairman, 20% by a Taiwanese businesswoman, 20% by Yuri Holdings (this is one of Seungri's ventures), and 10% by another South Korean businessman who was close to Seungri and was running day-to-day operations as CEO of Burning Sun) lots and lots of money, on top of the bottle service they provided at the club, and that the investors including Seungri himself and the CEO of Burning Sun, were working together to direct the club employees to drug their female customers in order to send them off to be assaulted by the rich and powerful monsters they attracted to the club.
The primary method of drugging the women involved using a common date rape drug called GHB, which can be mixed into liquids. For some people, it metabolizes in their system, leaving no trace when tested for it. Unfortunately, this led to the police invalidating the victims' claims of assault because they could not remember what happened to them after leaving the club. They only found themselves after the assault had taken place and assumed they were drugged.
Some have asked how is it that these women were able to walk out of the club with these men into their hotel rooms, and the answer to that is that substances like GHB and ketamine, which were in this case mixed into water that the victims were offered by staff and their assaulters, lead to dementia-like effects where a person is somewhat functional, but they cannot recall anything that they did or were subjected to over a period of time.
It's a terrifying thing to discover how these women were tricked and how these date rape drugs work. However, you can protect yourself by purchasing GHB drug testing kits either online or via some pharmacies. Additionally, be vigilant and only consume drinks that you have seen being prepared, and surround yourself with friends when going out and heading back home. I know in the Burning Sun case, some of these things may not have prevented the traumatic and heinous things that occurred, but I'd like to think that it's still a good rule of thumb to use to have some sort of control.
Another thing I was pondering when learning about the drugs used to sedate their female customers was whether there is a way to track the sale of these substances or any similar paralytic substances within particular municipalities/states/countries. If not, could Health and Safety Commissions/Organisations that set standards for nightclub establishments to stay open, be required to test the drinks they offer customers. I'm thinking the only way to ensure that these tests are not evaded or tampered with, would be to arrive for inspection randomly without warning to the establishment and possibly even as a mystery shopper to observe their operations and clandestinely test their drinks for any dangerous substances.
As always, this case involved the shunning of regular people and their claims in favour of protecting the rich and powerful - story as old as time. But I want to live in a world where we're not jaded by this story repeating itself. We need to set legal precedents that would make these actions and behaviours as unattractive as possible for those who aim to exploit and abuse others because they know they can. Clearly, fining them a smidge of their total net worth and giving them a slap on the wrist in terms of sentencing, does not get the point across to those who are caught. It sends a clear message that other wealthy and powerful people can do the same if they so choose. No one is going to take it seriously or assign a longer sentence to these criminals so they could at least have time to go through rehab and truly reflect on how they think and have treated others, in this case women, and see what they did as disgusting and wrong. Psychologically, these people are clearly messed up, and with the justice system giving them several loopholes to choose from to evade harsher sentencing, it brings up the question of whether the government and the legal and social systems that have been created are genuinely serving all of their constituents justly, or what is in fact their true purpose?
All countries need to fight for appropriate punishments for crimes as heinous as sexual assault and operating a sex trafficking ring. The victims will be altered for the rest of their lives and will have to manage their traumas for as long as they live, and to not even receive proper justice for the crimes committed against them while their perpetrators are able to move on with minimal consequences and still get given the benefit of the doubt and support from their fans, is only what I can describe as cruel. How is it even possible that we still live in a society like this?
What are we, as a society, going to do to protect women against the animals that some of us still coddle and protect?
I mean, fuuuuuuuuuuuuck, how can some men think that it's absolutely fine to speak about and treat women like this! JJY even compared the women that this group was assaulting to comfort women. The term comfort women is loaded with a very dark history for South Korea, going back to WWII, and to think a South Korean man is treating South Korean women in the same manner and not protecting them from other predators is dumbfounding.
Regarding the chat groups, I would like to ask those who work to build these communication platforms: Can these service providers do better to alert authorities and collect any incriminating evidence like videos or photos from chatrooms/groups that clearly show illegal behaviours? It's a bit of a slippery slope in terms of privacy, but how do we help protect victims?
Corruption in the police as well as businesses is also a factor. How do we ensure that audits are conducted regularly on all government departments and businesses to ensure they are operating according to set standards that take into account the protection of human rights?
After appealing the original sentence, Seungri only served 1.5 years for the criminal activities he was convicted of. He was even a few days shy of serving his full term because, by letting him go before at least serving 1.5 years, South Korean law allows for all charges to be expunged from your record.
The original sentence given was 3 years, which was handed out at a military trial after Seungri evaded a regular criminal trial by enlisting in the military for his mandatory service.
After his release in February 2023, Seungri was back in the spotlight in October of the same year when he was found to be dating multiple women behind their backs. The news broke after each of the women found out that they were brought to the same suite at a Bali hotel (photos of their dwelling in Bali was shared by each woman online, and the photos look identical).
Foreign investors, including the Taiwanese businesswoman, all fled the country and evaded responsibility for the crimes committed.
Seungri and fellow South Korean investors and management were also investigated for tax evasion, money laundering, and other corrupt business practices.
Originally published on December 5th, 2023.
Sources:
K-Pop Stars Opened a Night Club to Drug & Sell Women to Overseas Investors - Rotten Mango Podcast
‘You raped her’: Jung Joon-young and Seungri’s texts about sharing sex videos - South China Morning Post
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3001803/you-raped-her-read-texts-k-pop-idols-accused-sharing-sex
Jung Joon Young And Choi Jong Hoon Receive Finalized Prison Sentences From Supreme Court
https://www.soompi.com/article/1427406wpp/jung-joon-young-and-choi-jong-hoon-receive-finalized-prison-sentences-from-supreme-court