By Kim Tae-jong
About 100 “host bars,” where primarily male staff cater to female customers, are thriving in Gangnam, southern Seoul, attracting a total of more than 10,000 customers a day, and many of them also illegally sell sex to their customers, the Seoul Shinmun reported Wednesday.
It cited industry sources as saying that the host bars’ total annual sales in the area are estimated at more than 30 billion won ($25 million).
But the figure could be much higher if sales of illegal sex trades and other illegal business practices were included.
Many host bar owners are found to have obtained business licenses to run restaurants or karaoke bars, but switch their businesses to host bars between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
About 3,000 men in their 20s and 30s are working in the area to serve female customers, but teenagers also work there, it was reported.