Man in his 30s charged with rape after luring job applicant through Karrot part-time work service

A man in his 30s has been booked on suspicion of luring a job applicant to his home and raping her through Karrot's part-time job listing service.

Seoul's Gwanak Police Station said Wednesday it is investigating the man, identified only as A, on charges including rape.

A posted a listing on Karrot's part-time work service on Aug. 2, seeking someone to provide on-site makeup services for a profile photo shoot.

When a woman in her 30s, identified as B, responded to the listing and came to his home, A allegedly groped her during the makeup session and told her he would pay her extra for overnight work if she stayed with him.

When B refused and tried to leave, A allegedly turned on her and raped her.

B escaped from his home and reported the incident to police.

According to Yonhap TV, however, A filed a counter-report against B, claiming the sexual encounter had been consensual and accusing her of filing a false report.

At the same time, he allegedly pressured B to reach a settlement by offering her consolation money, and threatened her by raising the possibility of taking his own life.

Police are investigating the full circumstances of the case.

Karrot's part-time work service is a location-based platform connecting job seekers and employers. Last year, the number of applications submitted through it exceeded 50 million.

As the platform's user base has grown, so too have crimes exploiting it.

In June, a man in his 30s was arrested in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on suspicion of entering a woman's home under the pretense of doing a cleaning job and threatening her.

On Aug. 5, a man in his 20s who had applied for a housekeeping job in Seoul's Nowon-gu was booked after being caught stealing valuables from the client's home.