[단독] “Dense” celebrity members…Corona laughs at the Cheongdam Room Salon

The front door of a’membership room salon’ in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Business has been suspended since the police cracked down on the night of the 15th. Reporter Minjoong Kim

Amid the spread of a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), a member-based room salon, which was open to VIPs such as entertainers and wealthy people, was discovered in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. The police are expanding the investigation to determine the fact that the establishment was operated on an advance reservation system and to secure a list of VIPs who have visited and visited the establishment.

According to the police on the 22nd, a wind speed enforcement officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency raided a six-story building in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 15th at about 10 pm, and discovered the A-room salon, which was secretly open on the 3rd and 4th floors. According to the guidelines of the quarantine authorities, entertainment bars are subject to business bans due to the Corona 19 incident. A police official said, “A Room Salon was opened after being registered as a general restaurant (Korean restaurant) rather than an entertainment bar.” It was held on suspicion and investigated.” A room salon has a floor area of ​​208m2 (63 pyeong) per floor, and the number of rooms is about 8.

It turned out that the A Room Salon, which opened in June 2017, was opened every night from 3 to 4 a.m. after recruiting members by secretly approaching VIPs only. Among VIP members, the police believe that celebrities and wealthy people who value privacy protection are included. To enter the A Room Salon, you had to make a reservation by phone in advance and check your identity through CCTV installed at the entrance.

On September 24, the owners of entertainment bars in Seoul are holding a rally in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Government Complex Sejong to urge the lifting of the ban order. News 1

Although the Corona 19 incident this year broke out, Room A Salon is known to reassure customers, saying, “There are many people who look behind you, so there is no worry about crackdowns.” In addition, it was found that A Room Salon hired the receptionist through internet part-time job portal sites. In the job postings posted on the 7th, there are phrases such as “high pay guarantee” “where there is no force to be touched”, “working hours are from 8 pm to 2 am”. A police official said, “We are grasping the entire members and are investigating whether prostitution has been carried out in Room A and whether asylum-seekers exist.”

Meanwhile, in addition to Room A, the police are reinforcing crackdowns as there are more similar businesses in the Gangnam area of ​​Seoul. On the 18th, the Seoul Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department investigated entertainment districts in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Mapo-gu on the 18th and found four workplaces that violate the quarantine guidelines. Among them, two room salons were found to be able to enter and exit guests through the rear door connected by a secret passage with the front door locked. In addition, the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul raided Business B, which had rented a karaoke room in Gil-dong, Gangdong-gu and operated a room salon on the 15th, and captured 13 people, including the business owner, the receptionist, and customers. According to Kang Dong-seo, it was revealed that at Business B, customers paid 200,000 won for a basic alcoholic beverage and then separately engaged in prostitution.

Reporter Minjoong Kim [email protected]