Human trafficking: NBI out to identify female accomplice of arrested Koreans
These are the two Korean nationals arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation Cebu District Office (NBI-CEBDO) operatives for human trafficking. They were arrested on Sunday, Nov. 19 in an operation conducted in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City. CDN Digital photo | Mary Rose Sagarino
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Authorities here are bent on identifying the woman who is allegedly an accomplice in the human trafficking activities of two Korean nationals nabbed in Lapu-Lapu City on Sunday, November 19, 2023.
This was according to Special Agent Arnel Pura agent in charge from the National Bureau of Investigation Cebu District Office (NBI-CEBDO), during an interview with local radio station dyHP.
It can be recalled that two Korean nationals were arrested when operatives raided a condo unit in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City on Sunday.
The arrested persons were identified as 51-year-old Tae Young Han and 28-year-old Yunyeong Kim.
The two suspects are accused of victimizing women, including minors, to participate in sexual activities which are then live-streamed online through a Korean mobile application.
Han allegedly acts as the director and cameraman while Kim performs alongside the female victim.
Aside from the two, Pura said that there is another individual, a Filipino woman, involved in the crime who is tasked with finding girls to convince to join the stream.
The two suspects then pick the young girls the woman finds and persuade them to take part by offering P5,000 in cash.
Pura disclosed that some operatives noticed the presence of the woman outside of the condo unit before they even gathered information on her alleged involvement.
He said that an investigation is ongoing in order to identify the third alleged suspect and arrest her.
READ: Koreans nabbed in Lapu-Lapu for human trafficking
Pura also revealed that they have filed charges of qualified human trafficking against the two alleged suspects on Tuesday, November 21.
And because of the use of the internet as a medium, their crime was elevated to a higher degree.
He also said that the operation that led to the arrest of Han and Kim stemmed from information given by an informant on Friday, November 17.
Investigation showed that these individuals would livestream through an app that offers exclusive viewership for members who pay a hefty membership fee for access to the livestream.
According to Pura, they found that most of the members are Korean nationals and that the app is mostly accessible to Southeast Asian countries with its hub being in Korea.
They are also validating reports that the two individuals, who came to Cebu 7 months ago, also operated in Clark, Luzon, and may have conducted human trafficking activities there.
READ: Central Visayas among regions with high human trafficking cases — IACAT
He further stated that just like the 19-year-old girl they rescued during the operation, most victims of their modus operandi are vulnerable young girls who are in need of money for their studies and daily spending.
NBI CEBDO will be coordinating with the Korean consul in Cebu for their records and with the Bureau of Immigration to check the immigration status of both suspects and if they had previous arrivals in Cebu, added Pura.
READ:
BI exposes elaborate human trafficking scheme
Human trafficking now a ‘global threat’ – Bureau of Immigration
Korean, Filipino woman accused of pimping local women in Mactan
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