Girl band gets arrested at airport after being mistaken for 'sex workers'

A South Korean girl band travelling to the US for an album cover shoot were arrested at an airport after customs found costumes and props in their luggage - and thought they were sex workers.

The eight-strong band, called Oh My Girl, aged between 16 and 21, were detained in customs at Los Angeles International Airport for 15 hours on Thursday.

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The band's record company, WM Entertainment, said immigration authorities had paid extra attention to the large quantity of outfits they had, and questioned their relationship.

The Mirror reports that a statement said: "Probably because of their young age, they seem to have mistaken them as sex workers."

The South China Morning Post reports there may also have been an issue with the type of visa the band members were holding, as they were also booked to perform at a gala event in LA on Saturday.

Oh My Girl was formed in March this year and the girls released their debut single in April.

South Korean pop music, known as 'K-pop', is dominated by young band members, sometimes as young as 13 and 14 years old.

The BBC reports that in 2012, the government clamped down on over-sexualised performances by threatening to give higher age ratings to films, music videos and TV shows that exaggerated the sexuality of younger singers and bands.

The site adds that the band flew back to South Korea after the incident.