By Kim Rahn
A former prostitute who had asked the Constitutional Court to decide whether the law punishing voluntary prostitution was proper has been fined following the court's ruling in favor of the regulation.
The Seoul Northern District Court said Sunday that it recently sentenced the woman, surnamed Kim, 45, to a 1 million won fine for selling sex.
Kim, who has been on trial since July 2012 for charging customers 130,000 won for sex, filed the petition with the Constitutional Court in December of that year. She claimed the Anti-Prostitution Law, which punishes both sex buyers and sellers, violated her basic rights because she had no other means of making a living.
Her case was suspended until the Constitutional Court made a ruling. In March, the court concluded that the law was constitutional as it was aimed at upholding sound social customs and ethics around sex.
As the case resumed, Kim asked the local court for leniency, saying that she regretted what she had done and promised she would not sell sex in the future. But the court persisted with the fine.
"There are many conflicting opinions about punishing prostitutes," the court said. "But an individual's sexual conduct should be regulated by the law if it damages society's sound customs concerning sex."
Since the law was amended in 2004, there have been eight constitutional appeals. Kim's was the only one filed by a voluntary sex worker, while the other seven were by customers or brokers.
A former prostitute who had asked the Constitutional Court to decide whether the law punishing voluntary prostitution was proper has been fined following the court's ruling in favor of the regulation.
The Seoul Northern District Court said Sunday that it recently sentenced the woman, surnamed Kim, 45, to a 1 million won fine for selling sex.
Kim, who has been on trial since July 2012 for charging customers 130,000 won for sex, filed the petition with the Constitutional Court in December of that year. She claimed the Anti-Prostitution Law, which punishes both sex buyers and sellers, violated her basic rights because she had no other means of making a living.
Her case was suspended until the Constitutional Court made a ruling. In March, the court concluded that the law was constitutional as it was aimed at upholding sound social customs and ethics around sex.
As the case resumed, Kim asked the local court for leniency, saying that she regretted what she had done and promised she would not sell sex in the future. But the court persisted with the fine.
"There are many conflicting opinions about punishing prostitutes," the court said. "But an individual's sexual conduct should be regulated by the law if it damages society's sound customs concerning sex."
Since the law was amended in 2004, there have been eight constitutional appeals. Kim's was the only one filed by a voluntary sex worker, while the other seven were by customers or brokers.
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