A Busan entertainment venue owner and several employees have received prison sentences for a coercive billing scheme that left a customer dead from acute alcohol poisoning. According to a report by Yonhap News published on Feb. 14, 2025, the venue owner, identified only as A, was sentenced to six years in prison by the Busan District Court.
The presiding judge, Lim Seong-chul of the Busan District Court’s 6th Criminal Division, convicted the defendants on charges including abandonment resulting in death and computer fraud. Alongside the owner’s six-year sentence, four staff members received prison terms ranging from 10 months to two years for their roles in the incident.
Details of the Coercive Billing Scheme
According to court records cited by Yonhap News, the incident took place on Oct. 24, 2024. Staff members lured a customer, identified as C, into the establishment through street solicitation. Once inside, employees forced the victim to consume a bottle of spirits and beer over an extremely short timeframe until the customer lost consciousness.
Investigators found that the venue operated an organized scheme where patrons were deliberately over-intoxicated to facilitate fraudulent charges. To conceal the unauthorized transactions, staff placed multiple empty liquor bottles inside the private room before processing payments. The participants then split the illicit proceeds.
Unauthorized Credit Card Charges and Neglect
When the victim lost consciousness, the perpetrators attempted to unlock the victim’s smartphone using his finger to bypass security. Failing that, they took a credit card directly from his wallet. According to the court, they made an unauthorized charge of 91만원 and attempted an additional fraudulent transaction, which failed.
The victim remained incapacitated and unattended inside the room for approximately three hours and 20 minutes. He ultimately died from acute alcohol poisoning.
Court Rulings and Legal Accountability
The court established a direct causal link between the defendants’ actions and the victim’s death. Judge Lim noted that the criminal operation relied on victims becoming so incapacitated that they could not perceive their fingers being used for biometric scans or their wallets being emptied. The court emphasized that intentionally inducing unconsciousness through extreme alcohol consumption poses an immediate, lethal threat to human life.
In determining the sentences, the court cited aggravating factors, including the defendants’ failure to check on the victim or attempt to revive him despite knowing his condition. Judges also noted that the staff attempted to cover up the crime by aligning their stories and deleting mobile chat histories. Furthermore, the defendants made no efforts toward restitution and failed to secure forgiveness from the victim’s grieving family.
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