Despite prostitution being visible and semi-visible all across the country in blazing neon signs of anmas and armies of spinning barbershop poles glowing at times of night when no human being would normally go looking for a haircut, Korea has recently launched a crackdown on the $25 billion/year industry in the wake of getting bad international raps, particularly from the US State Department, for its prostitution and human trafficking problems. In Korea, prostitution comes in two flavors. The western-influenced version that arrived with establishment of US bases, such as the red light districts (despite the clientele being predominantly Korean), Hooker Hill, and juicy bars. The other flavor is the Korean-influenced version comprised of anmas, yeojeongs, room salons, and the semi-discreet barbershops and dabangs.
While porn, fetish, and prostitution is not as in-your-face like it is in Japan, Korea is lit up with advertising for the Korean versions of the trade. But despite the government pledging to end prostitution by 2007, the crackdown that began in 2004 has predominately targeted the western-influenced subculture. Notably, the red light districts. Likely because those are the places that foreigners would be most apt to notice the closure of and the international monkey might then be off their back, despite not tackling the more prevalent issues going on in the thousands of room salons and anmas throughout the country.
While the rest of the prostitution industry is booming, the red light areas have dramatically curtailed. In one example, 588 has lost over 60% of its business and is expected to be fully closed down by 2007, when the government plans to fully crack its knuckles on the remnants of the red light zones across the nation.
In 2004, the government put a special law into effect, followed by a month long crackdown. From the Chosun Ilbo, the law entails:
[edit] Strengthening punishments of brothel owners
The punishment for brothel owners who force their women to engage in prostitution has been increased from "up to 5 years in jail or W15 million in fines" to "up to 10 years in jail or W100 million in fines." Moreover, those who lock up girls, force them to have abortions, or engage in human trafficking will get a minimum of three years in jails, while in cases where drugs are used to force women to commit acts of prostitution or the brothel owner is a gangster, the courts will hand down a minimum of five years in jail. A Justice Ministry official said it was exceptional that minimum jail sentences were being stipulated. He added that brothel owners and other criminals would lose all their property or valuables earned through criminal activity, completely closing off the possibility that they may repeat their crimes.
[edit] Other sexual acts punished
The new law includes not only sexual intercourse, but also other sexual acts using tools or parts of the body as targets for punishment. This is to allow crackdowns on places like barbershops, which have avoided punishment by claiming that they do not actually provide customers with "sex," per say. A police official said that up till now, even if police made a raid, it was hard to punish an establishment if no condoms or semen were found. Now, he said, the fact that the concerned parties were naked at the time of the raid would be seen as sufficient evidence of prostitution, and punishment would be possible.
[edit] Protecting the human rights of victimized women
Debts related to prostitution, regardless of whether in contract or other forms, would become null and void. Moreover, women forced into prostitution through human trafficking, confinement or drug addiction would be designated victims, leaving open the way for them to avoid punishment. Up till now, the biggest reason women in prostitution were reluctant to inform the police was strain from receiving money and fear of punishment. So far, women who were unable to pay back brothel owners the money owned to them could be prosecuted for fraud and punished for their activities.
But tackling brothel owners is only part of the battle. One has to deal with the demand. And according to a Joongang Ilbo survey, 48.5 percent of men surveyed admitted to having bought sex. Eighty percent of them said they didn't feel any guilt.
[edit] Red-light crackdown begins
On day one of the crackdown in the fall of 2004, 38 people were arrested in Seoul and 138 nationwide. For the month, 4,365 johns, brothel owners, and working girls were rounded up. Red light districts were hit so hard that sex workers launched protests. The crackdown ended and business picked up again.
[edit] Teenage prostitution crackdown
In the winter of 2005, a crackdown began on teenage prostitution.
[edit] Where will they go?
With red light traffic fading, an editor from the Korea Times asks the question. The trade will most certainly go on, but in different shapes and forms, and in some new nooks and crannies.
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