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A man is accused of seeking out Korean models for photo shoots and then threatening them with deportation if they refused to comply with his sexual demands, police say. Jung Park, 41, runs a photography business near 8th and Vermont called Simple Touch Entertainment. He met a Korean woman on October 26 at around 1 p.m. who he had hired to do a body painting photo shoot with him, a release from the LAPD says. After the victim took her clothes off for the nude photo shoot, Park allegedly began to touch her and tried to rape her. When the vicim said no, he told her he would report her to immigration authorities if she did not comply.
This model is not the only woman that has come forward to tell authorities about similar situations that have occurred when they met Park for interviews or photo shoots. Police say Park places ads looking for models on websites, on the radio and in Korean newspapers. They believe could be more victims who may have responded to these ads.
On the Simple Touch website, there is a form models can fill out to apply. Starting at question 15, the form becomes especially concerned with nudity, but eases into it by asking about the movie Titanic and the "draw me like one of your French girls" scene. Question 19 reads, "You know, as a model, you must try to show different styles. If we have designed a style for you in which you are shot naked, can you accept it?" Question 24 asks if the model has a boyfriend or girlfriend, and Question 25 wants to know if the model had sex with him or her, and later questions ask the model's willingness to abandon their partner.
Park was arrested on October 26, but is currently out on a $100,000 bail, CBS LA reports. Anyone with information should call Detective Maltos or Detective Runyon, who speaks Korean, at 213-437-0447.
