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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?
What happened
Sung Bum Chang, owner of the Dallas club “Club Wa,” help club workers in conditions of forced labor at the karaoke club located on Walnut Hill Lane (Dallas) from December 2004 to April 26, 2005. Chang used a network that recruited women from South Korea to come to the U.S. with the promise of good jobs. Chang paid the victims’ smuggling fees, and confiscated their passports, telling them they could not leave until they had returned the money they owed him. They victims were held in the top floor of Chang’s home, and kept under constant surveillance and guard. The women would also be fined if they violated Chang’s “rules.” The victims worked as hostess in Club Wa, sitting with and entertaining customers, and encouraging them to buy more alcohol. Chang kept records of their earnings, and adjusted their debt accordingly, also including the price of their rent and food.
Response and intervention
Chang plead guilty to forced labor, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $37,000 in restitution to the victims. One of the victims escaped Chang’s home by jumping out of a second-story window and finding a pastor for help. The pastor then reported the case to local authorities. On April 26, 2005, Chang was arrested and six undocumented Korean women were found in his house. The victims were either returned to their homes in Korea, or stayed to seek legal immigrant status.