According to the South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Cyber Investigation Unit on Tuesday, its investigations of five members of a racket pimping Russian girls have revealed that 277 men have utilized the rackets services since March.

Police have booked (without detention) 93 of those men for violations of prostitution laws, and are continuing investigations against the remaining 184.

Police said most of 93 they booked for sex with Russian prostitutes were men in their 20s~40s who live in Seoul who have a variety of jobs.

A large number, however, were social leaders like an assistant professor at a university in Seoul, a lecturer at a regional college, and Seoul-based doctors. The incident nakedly revealed the men's twisted sexual consciousness. 　 Moreover, nor only employees of household name communications, electronics, insurance, car and construction companies, but also students at famous universities in Seoul and bankers fell pray to the misplaced temptation of sex with Russian women. In particular, the form the prostitution took was diverse; a 32-year-old doctor would call a Russian girl over to his house for sex after having a fight with his wife, while a 33-year-old professor used his business car while on business trips to Seoul and a 26-year-old college student had sex with Russian girls in his room.

Police said, "Most of the men remembered the prostitution racket's contact number that they learned through a major Internet chatting site, and requested its services after drinking, family troubles or to satisfy their sexual cravings... We've confirmed that this degenerated prostitution culture is prevalent throughout society."

In particular, police added, "We believe that in this incident, the fact that it was easier for community leaders with money and relative Internet-savvy to approach this online racket using Russian girls as bait egged on their fall from grace."

South Gyeongsang Province Cyber Investigation chief Shim Tae-hwan said, "Recently, with cyberspace being used as a tool to arrange prostitution, it seems more and more community leaders with money and computer skills are buying sexual services... We will continue to crack down on the crime of cyber prostitution."

(englishnews@chosun.com )