Karaoke owners plead guilty to forcing workers into prostitution

Three club owners who were indicted last November on charges that they forced Chinese women into prostitution pled guilty yesterday in federal district court of Saipan.

Kwon Soon Oh, president of Kwon Enterprises, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate rights, specifically the right to be free from involuntary servitude.

Kwon’s wife, Meng Ylng Yu, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate federal law that prohibits involuntary servitude, extortion, and transportation for illegal sexual activity.

Kwon’s son, Kwon Mo Young, who is an officer of Kwon Enterprises, also entered a guilty plea to one count of transportation for illegal activity.

“Sadly, we have seen too many cases of modern-day slavery, ” said Bill Lann Lee, acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

“Today’s guilty pleas put those who exploit workers on notice that the Justice Department will be relentless in bringing them to justice.”

The charges arose from allegations that the three defendants lured women from China to the CNMI with promises of good job as waitress, only to hold them in slavery and force them to work as prostitutes in K’s Hideaway Karaoke bar owned by Kwon Enterprise.

“This kind of abuse of guest workers is intolerable,” said Frederick A. Black, U.S. Attorney for the District of the Northern Marianas Islands. “No matter where someone is from, once they come to the United States, they should be free from slavery.”

Kwon Soon Oh admitted that in 1996 and 1997, Kwon Enterprises, in collaboration with his mother in law recruited and brought women from China to Saipan to work at the karaoke club where women were forced to have sex with customers.

The women were not allowed to stop working until they had paid their to Kwon and his family for bringing them to Saipan.

In order to discourage the women from leaving without permission, the women were subjected to mental and physical coercion, which included threats to hire local people to harm the women and threats against their families’ reputations in China.

Kwon Soon Oh admitted to brandishing a pistol to some of the women to prevent them from escaping.

Kwon and his wife also admitted that they threatened the women in order to prevent them from complaining to the local labor department.

Federal Judge Alex Munson scheduled the sentencing of the Kwons for Jan. 11, 2000,

The three are facing punishment terms which range from five to 10 years.