Women's public bathhouses “off-limits” for older boys

By Ko Dong-hwan

Kim Su-cheol, president of the Korea Public Bath Industry Association, announced on July 28 his intention of petitioning the Ministry of Health & Welfare.Women’s public bathhouses in Korea seek to ban boys as old as five in Korean age which converts to five in Western age. In the West, age counting begins at 0 whereas it is 1 in Korea.

Kim’s petition argues that because kids of modern age generally show rapid physical development compared to the past, the current age limit of six to seven must be lowered to five.

In 2003, a revision upon the public health law on similar grounds was legalized. The revision stated that people of the opposite gender from age of six cannot enter public bathhouses or changing rooms together, and that business owners infringing upon or conniving in crossing the law will be fined with maximum three million won.

The revised law, however, didn’t foresee the fact that kids in near future will mature faster in understanding bodily changes and sexual differences between male and female. It is known that curiosity to such topics among today’s kids reaches peak during the age of four to five.

In 2010, the association petitioned the ministry to lower the age limit for boys entering women’s public bathhouse. The petition, however, was denied as different groups of interest, including single women, mothers raising children, double-income families and grandparents raising their grandchildren failed to create a unified voice.

While single women group wields the hegemonic influence regarding the impending issue among diverse social outlets, an associate from the ministry said that “it has come to the dire point where all the interest groups face off and discuss the matter.”