The U.S. State Department revealed the hidden truth of Korean human trafficking issues, Monday.
Korea has been marked as a “tier one nation” for the 10th consecutive year this year, meaning that it has met “the minimum standards” laid down in the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
The department classifies nations into four tiers based on protection of victims, punishment of offenders and prevention measures in annual report on human trafficking.
Although it remains as “tier one,” Korea is hardly the model when it comes to actual human trafficking, according to the report by the department. The report raised coerced prostitution and labor problems as issues from the very first paragraph, describing Korea as the “source, transit, and destination country” of human trafficking.
The department has pointed out that men and women from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Columbia, Mongolia, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Cambodia and other nations around the world come to Korea for marriages and jobs only to end up in forced prostitution or labor.
Also it pointed to financial debt as the prime reason for trafficking of women, by saying that the women’s “owners” and “brokers” have found ways to constantly make the debt larger to keep the women indefinitely. “Many of these women get their passport taken away and are thereby kept from escaping overseas,” it said.
The department also said that there are also significant human trafficking of Korean women abroad being forced into prostitution in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia. It commented that more and more Korean teenagers are dragged into prostitution with nearly 95% of child prostitution broadcast live through the Internet.
This year’s report is nearly identical as the one from last year. While noting the Korean government has maintained its efforts to eradicate human trafficking, this year’s report called for reformation in the anti-trafficking legislations and implement more thorough investigation methods, harsher punishments, and preventive measures to the underprivileged.
Amidst the celebration for Korea’s 10th year as a “tier one” nation, it is more important now than ever to remember that “tier one” classification is for nations that meet the minimum standards. In order to truly become a leader in today’s world, Korea should never be satisfied with meeting the minimum requirements, the report said.