Korean man arrested in Thailand on porn, drug allegations

A Korean man in his 30s was arrested in Thailand after allegedly posting videos on social media showing himself engaged in sexual activity with Thai nationals.

The Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police arrested the 30-year-old Korean man at a luxury hotel in Pattaya on Sunday, local media outlets including Khaosod reported Tuesday.

Police had launched an investigation against the man after discovering he had repeatedly uploaded sex videos of himself with Thai nationals and others on X.

Photos and video released by police showed officers entering the hotel room where the man was staying and confronting him while he was naked. The images showed tattoos covering much of his body, including his arms, shoulders, back and thighs. The man was questioned while sitting on a bed with only a towel covering his lower body.

Police said they found drugs including 21.36 grams of methamphetamine, 304.32 grams of ketamine and 296 ecstasy pills in the hotel room.

The man was charged with uploading obscene content online, distributing pornography and possessing Category 1 and 2 narcotics with the intent to sell them. Thailand's Food and Drug Administration classifies narcotics into five categories, with Category 1 including dangerous narcotic such as heroin and methamphetamine and Category 2 including narcotics such as morphine, cocaine and codeine.

During initial questioning, the man reportedly admitted to posting the videos on social media. It has not yet been confirmed whether the people appearing in the videos consented to being filmed or whether the man posted the videos for financial gain.

Police said they plan to expand the investigation to trace the source of the seized drugs and determine whether the man had accomplices or links to other criminal cases.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]