Illegal 'room cafes' spark debate on teen sex

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Mon, October 2, 2023 | 16:48

Society

Illegal 'room cafes' spark debate on teen sex

Posted : 2023-02-12 16:55

Updated : 2023-02-13 17:05

This photo shows the inside of a room cafe in Daejeon which was found to be illegally operating in a recent police crackdown. Courtesy of Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency

By Lee Hyo-jin

A growing number of "room cafes" that do not comply with regulations has sparked debate on teenagers' sexual activities ― a taboo subject in Korea ― after the government vowed to crackdown on these facilities where underage students were found to be having sex.

Room cafes, which began appearing in the early 2000s, offer a private space with basic amenities to visitors. But in recent years, many of these establishments have evolved into hotel-like facilities.

Unlike the past, when curtains or partitions were installed to offer privacy, some cafes now provide separate rooms with lockable doors. Many rooms are also equipped with a screen, bed and even a bathroom in some cases.

Although these room cafes look no different from motels or DVD rooms ― where minors are prohibited from entering under the Youth Protection Act ― these facilities have been able to circumvent the law, as they are registered under general business or restaurant licenses.

As an increasing number of teenagers have been found to be drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and having sexual intercourse at these facilities, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been urging local governments and the police to launch a crackdown on "illegal" room cafes.

The gender ministry on Friday held a meeting with related government bodies, including the ministries of education and health and welfare, as well as the National Police Agency, to come up with effective measures to regulate illegal room cafes that could pose a risk to minors.

"We will discuss various ways to improve current measures in order to better monitor business owners of newly-emerging types of room cafes and create a safe environment for young people," said Vice Minister Lee Ki-soon prior to the meeting.

Following recommendation from the family ministry, local governments, including Seoul, Daegu and Busan, are rushing to launch special inspections on room cafes that resemble motels.

However, some experts pointed out that regulating such facilities should come in line with improvements in sex education classes offered at schools to help young people make better decisions about their sex lives. Although it is the government's duty to regulate businesses that are harmful to minors, considering that similar facilities may appear in the future, a more fundamental solution would be to provide appropriate sex education.

Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Ki-soon speaks during a meeting on government measures to crack down on illegal room cafes, held at Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

"I agree that the government should strictly monitor illegal room cafes that may cause possible harm to children. But whether they should be regulated just because teens were having sex there, it's a complicated issue," Lee Hyun-sook, head of Tacteen, a sexual violence counseling center for youth, told The Korea Times.

"The reason why teenagers choose room cafes to have sex is because there is virtually no other option," she said. Although consensual sex between teenagers is not illegal here, sexually active minors are frowned upon by society at large.

Moreover, Lee stressed that schools should do more to advocate safe and healthy attitudes on sex by providing important information to teenagers. The current sex education curriculum in schools lacks proper guidance on how to have safe sex, such as where to buy contraceptives, she said.

"I'm not saying that we should encourage teenagers to have sex, but the lack of guidance from adults is leading minors to have unsafe sex," she said.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2019, six percent of middle and high school students have had sex starting at an the average age of 13.6 years old. But more than half of sexually active teenagers ― 58.7 percent ― did not engage in safe sex.

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr