4 in 10 Korean men paid for sex at least once; youth exploitation age drops to 14: survey

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Nearly four in 10 adult Korean men have paid for sex at least once in their lifetime, while the starting age for sexually exploited minors dropped to 14, falling below the previous benchmark of 16, a recent survey showed.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family convened the third Specialized Committee on Prevention of Violence Against Women on Friday. The task force discussed measures to combat prostitution based on the triennial 2025 Sex Trade Survey, conducted between April and December 2025 by the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice and the Hansei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.

The survey of 1,500 adult Korean men showed 37.7 percent have paid for sex at least once in their lifetime. The rate remained virtually unchanged from 37.4 percent in 2022, but dropped 13 percentage points from 50.7 percent in 2016. Men who paid for sex within the past year accounted for 8.5 percent — or 128 respondents — marking a sharp decline from 20.9 percent in 2016.

Men aged 20 to 24 recorded the highest rate of paying for sex for the first time at 45.4 percent, followed by those aged 25 to 29 at 24.2 percent. Curiosity was the leading motive behind paying for sex for the first time at 41.7 percent, followed by peer suggestions from friends, colleagues or older acquaintances at 29.5 percent, sexual desire relief at 26.9 percent and before major life events such as military enlistment at 26.0 percent.

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Group visits to red-light districts after company drinking sessions ranked fifth among motives, falling from second and third place in the 2016 and 2022 surveys, respectively. Over the past three years, 4.6 percent of respondents provided commercial sex for business entertainment, while 5.8 percent received it. The figures represent drops of 47.1 percent and 44.8 percent, respectively, compared to 2016. Report researchers said collective sex purchasing practices in the workplace likely weakened over time, improving corporate hospitality culture.

1st sexual exploitation

The report also examined 201 at-risk youth aged 12 to 18 across 17 regional support centers for victims of child and youth sexual exploitation nationwide. The survey found that 14 was the most common age of first sexual exploitation of minors at 30.5 percent. Age 15 followed at 20.5 percent, age 13 at 18.5 percent and age 12 at 7.3 percent.

The findings reverse historical data from 2019 and 2022, when age 16 or older accounted for the highest share at 49.4 percent and 41.7 percent, respectively, showing minors are falling victim to commercial sex at younger ages.

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Social media served as the primary channel for solicitation. Instant messaging — including open chats, messengers and direct messages — accounted for 67.6 percent, followed by anonymous messaging apps at 19.9 percent, chat websites and online communities at 4.0 percent, and gaming or live-streaming apps at 4.0 percent.

Victims cited strong legal punishment for those paying for sex as the most urgent government policy to eradicate sexual exploitation, with 50.8 percent calling for such measures. Other policy demands included expanding independent part-time job opportunities to earn living expenses without parental or guardian consent at 17.9 percent, along with tougher police investigations and crackdowns on illegal anonymous messaging apps at 8.5 percent.

The ministry also released findings from a survey on online solicitation of minors involving 4,203 middle and high school students, comprising 2,525 middle schoolers and 1,678 high schoolers. The rate of online grooming steadily decreased from 11.1 percent in 2019 to 5.3 percent in 2022 and 4.8 percent in 2025.

Online grooming predominantly began through conversations with strangers. The most common forms of harassment involved strangers demanding unwanted conversations about sex at 62.3 percent and requesting unwanted sexual photos or videos at 54.2 percent. Incidents of unwanted sexual conversations dropped sharply from 9.3 percent in 2019 to 2.5 percent last year. Researchers said enhanced youth coping capabilities and stricter platform regulations drove the decline.

The task force also discussed measures to accelerate the closure of physical red-light districts. Authorities have shut down 25 of 40 designated red-light districts nationwide, but 15 sites remain openly operational — including in the Yeongdeungpo Station area in Seoul and the Wanwol-dong and Minamchon areas in Busan.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.