The Korean government says it has written to a dozen Sydney councils asking for any information they might have about Korean nationals who are involved in prostitution at local brothels, ABC News has reported.
The letter from Korea's consul general Kim Jin-soo says the government believes the number of Korean nationals involved in the sex industry could be growing and it wants to eliminate human trafficking and sex slavery while protecting the victims.
It asked councils to supply information on the number of brothels in their areas, and urges them to provide details of Korean nationals involved either as victims or offenders, saying a Korean police attache is ready to support enforcement activities where needed.
A spokesman of the consul general says councils responded by providing information only on the number of brothels in their areas. Reports say that an estimated 1,000 Koreans have been engaged in sex trade in Australia.
But most councils involved seem to get surprised at the letter as it was “extraordinary,” according to local papers and councils. It is a very rare case that a foreign consulate general has sent such a letter to district-level councils in the country where sex trade is not illegal, said a local council official.
The consul general said his government is concerned about the damage to its public image over the issue of prostitution, which is illegal in Korea.
Korea has rejected suggestions any of its nationals working as sex slaves would be punished if they returned home.
But a lawyer with the Anti-Slavery Project at the NSW University of Technology is concerned about the request.
"If a Korean national engages in sex work outside Korea, then he or she is still liable for prosecution in Korea," Jennifer Byrne said.