Prostitution in South Korea
[2][3] According to a survey conducted by the Department of Urology at the Korea University College of Medicine in 2015, 23.1% of males and 2.6% of females, aged 18–69, had sexual experience with a prostitute.
[6] The first brothels in Korea began to spread after the country first opened its port in 1876 through a diplomatic pact, causing ethnic quarters for Japanese migrants to sprout up in Busan, Wonsan and Incheon.
[8][9][10] Though US officials publicly condemn prostitution, they are perceived as taking little action to prevent it, and some locals suggest that US Army authorities prefer having commercial sex services available to soldiers.
[25] In 2005, Filipina and Russian women became common in many Korean red district and even accounted for 90 percent of all the prostitutes in U.S. military camp towns.
[27] A similar report by the Korean Institute of Criminology noted that 20% of men in their 20s pay for sex at least four times a month,[28] with 358,000 visiting prostitutes daily.
[31] In 2006, the Ministry for Gender Equality, in an attempt to address the issue of demand for prostitutes, offered cash to companies whose male employees pledged not to pay for sex after office parties.
[30] Meanwhile, enforcement is weak and corruption problematic; there is little evidence that new legislation has made much difference, the trade simply finding other ways to carry on its business.
The four main red light districts in South Korea prior to the Special Law are Cheongnyangni 588, Yongsan Station, and Mia-ri in Seoul and Jagalmadang in Daegu.
While not all of them are operating to full capacity, some still exist while being tolerated not only due to the vast amount of money that is involved in the business, but also in an attempt to control the sex industry.
Recidivism is common, with over half of the girls counseled by the Voice returning to the sex trade, often because of blackmail from former pimps and social ostracism from future husbands and families.
A US Immigration official conceded in 2006 that "There's a highly organized logistical network between Korea and the United States with recruiters, brokers, intermediaries.
[47] In 2012, the government continued law enforcement efforts against sex trafficking, and signed MOUs for the Employment Placement System (EPS) with five additional countries and conducted numerous anti-trafficking awareness campaigns.
[50] Trafficking in Persons Report of the U.S. State Department has mentioned in many occasions that Chinese women are engaged in prostitution in South Korea.
[57][58] Chinese women are engaged in prostitution through the country of South Korea such as Seoul,[59] Incheon,[60] Suwon,[61] Pyeongtaek,[62] Yongin,[63] Siheung,[64] Bucheon,[65] Paju,[66] Uijeongbu,[67] Ansan,[68] Anyang,[69] Cheongju,[70] Dangjin,[71] Cheonan,[72] Daejeon,[73] Asan,[74] Daegu,[75] Busan,[76] Gyeongju,[77] Ulsan,[78] Gwangyang,[79] Changwon,[80] Gangwon Province,[81] Jeolla Province[82] and Jeju Island.
[83] Chinese women engaged in prostitution practice their commercial sex not only in the cities but also in the rural areas of which the administrative unit corresponds to town and township.
The owner of one Thai massage parlor in Gangnam said, "Even if I try to run a legitimate business, I have no idea what happens in the room between a client and a masseuse who wants to make more money."
[85][86] A report dated 2002 and released in 2003 asserted that Ukrainian sex-workers were the second largest group of foreign women involved into prostitution outside the US military bases in Republic of Korea.
In 2000, 3,064 Russians entered South Korea on E-6 visas, 2,927 of them women (Jhoty, 2001)[88] During the Autumn symposium held at Sinyang Humanities Hall of Seoul National University organized by Korean Association of Women's Studies, Jung Jae-won, a senior researcher of Institute for Gender Research of Seoul National University presented the survey results regarding current state of purchase of sexual services practiced by Korean men abroad.
[91] In 2013, the Korea Tourism Association filed a complaint with the police against some Internet site for arranging sex service by Chinese prostitutes for Korean men in China.
[95][96] South Korean men continue to be a major source of demand for child sex tourism in both Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
[98] The South Korean government has expressed concern over its citizens engaging in prostitution in foreign countries like Australia and the United States.
