Anti-brothel law fails to dampen sex industry

Public telephone booths filled with leaflets selling sex near Gangnam Subway Station in southern Seoul. To evade crackdowns, prostitutes have retreated into residential areas, renting offices and apartments. / Korea Times file

By Na Jeong-ju

The government has enforced measures to shut down brothels and strengthen punishment of sex traffickers since the special Anti-Prostitution Law was implemented in 2004.

Many red-light zones nationwide have been turned into business districts and a series of rehabilitation programs for former prostitutes have been introduced, officials say.

However, many people question the effectiveness of the law, saying many prostitutes have moved into residential areas to continue their businesses by renting offices and apartments.

“You can easily see leaflets attracting clients on the streets or in public toilets. The red lights have never been turned off,” said Kim Sang-gwon, a professor of Halla University in Wonju, Gangwon Province. “Instead, new types of sex businesses have taken root in our society. Men can easily buy sex at karaoke rooms, bars, motels, massage parlors and even restaurants.”

One of the unintended results is that many Korean prostitutes have moved to Australia, Japan, the United States and other countries where prostitution is legal in certain districts. According to a National Assembly report, about 50,000 and 30,000 Korean women are engaging in prostitution in Japan and the United States, respectively.

The number of reported sex crimes has also surged in recent years. An annual crime report released by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in December showed sex crimes increased from 13,634 cases in 2007 to 22,034 in 2011.

“The records suggest crackdowns on the sex industry and toughened punitive measures against prostitutes and sex buyers can’t resolve this problem,” Kim said.

Some experts even proposed the creation of “licensed” brothels to tackle the surging sex crimes.

Kim Kang-ja, a former senior police officer who led a fight against prostitution in early 2000s, once said the country needs to set up strictly-regulated brothels in designated areas.

“There are members of society for whom it is difficult to find partners, such as the disabled, illegal immigrants and widowers. Society needs to address the needs of these individuals by allowing prostitution in restricted areas,” Kim said in a recent interview. “And men who are incapable of controlling their desires will always exist.”

She admitted that the Anti-Prostitution Law had some flaws that were overlooked during the legislation process, saying Korea doesn’t have enough police to crack down on all the illegal prostitution taking place here.

Brothels have been facing harsh crackdowns under the law. So, sex businesses have gone underground, said a spokesman from the National Police Agency.

“For instance, the Internet has become a hotbed for prostitution. It is harder for the police to clamp down on prostitution online than offline,” the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. “There are also dozens of the so-called sponsor cafes, in which women search for men who can support them financially in exchange for sex.”