Human Trafficking in  [South Korea]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [South Korea]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [South Korea]  [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Republic of Korea (South Korea)                                  [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Republic of Korea (South Korea) [map] is located in SE Asia on the Korean peninsular, with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to its north.  Its capital is Seoul.  War damage and a flood of refugees from North Korea intensified the problems with its economy, which was characterized by runaway inflation, highly unfavorable trade balances, and mass unemployment.

 

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in South Korea.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false.   No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

ECPAT – On-line form for reporting child prostitution and other sexual offences against children

Quick Search for Missing Children - Select Gender, Country (South Korea) & Years Missing

National Plan of Action

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - The Youth Protection Law provides for prison terms of up to three years or a fine of up to $17,680 (20 million won) for owners of entertainment establishments who hire persons under the age of 19. The Commission on Youth Protection also expanded the definition of "entertainment establishment" to include facilities, such as restaurants and cafes, where children were hired illegally as prostitutes.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2003

[54] The Committee welcomes the enactment in 2000 of the Juvenile Protection Act, which aims to penalize those purchasing sexual services from children. However, the Committee is concerned that this Act is not being effectively implemented, and that there is limited data available on the prevalence of child sexual exploitation. It is also concerned at reports of the widespread phenomenon of "Wonjokyuje" in which adolescent girls engage in a sexual relationship with older men for money.

Indonesia Seeks Dignified Relationship With Korea

An Indonesian government leader has asked Koreans to show respect to her nation, referring to foreigners reportedly using child prostitutes in Bali.

``We hope to have a dignified relationship with Korea and want Korean people to respect Indonesia. There are many foreigners who look for child prostitution in Bali, although having sex with children is subject to severe punishment,’’ the minister said in an interview with The Korea Times Wednesday.  The minister’s remarks indicate that the Indonesian government wants to prevent sex trade in the country by asking other countries to take a more active role, instead of his country metering out severe punishment to sex tourists.  Child sex traders or abusers can be sentenced to a maximum 15 years in prison in Indonesia, but the country is rather lenient on foreigners as it is concerned that the strict control of foreigners would damage the tourism business.

Seoul Denies Human Trafficking Accusations

Seoul officials yesterday challenged the United States’ portrayal of Korea as ``a frequent destination for trafficked women and children from the former Soviet Union and neighboring Asian nations.’’

Indonesia traffics children who often become sexually enslaved, said the report, and women and girls as young as 10 years old from Kyrgyzstan are transported for sexual exploitation and end up in countries like South Korea, the report said.

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – KOREA (REP.) – The recent Act on Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation came into effect on July 1st 2000. The substantial feature is the public disclosure about persons convicted under the Act.  Under the new law, brokers in the child prostitution business, producers of child pornography and those who commit sexual crimes against children will also be subject to severe penalties. Clients convicted of having sex with child victims will be subject to maximum three-year imprisonment. Child victims are immune from criminal prosecution though they will undergo rehabilitation, counseling, and/or protection.

Korea Must Counter Foreign Reports on Child Prostitution

South Korea should conduct comprehensive research on the present condition of child prostitution in the nation in order to prevent distorted or exaggerated foreign reports on the problem, a visiting Dutch legal expert on human trafficking said.  The matter is not the number itself.  The situation of children being exploited in the sex industry is a huge problem.  In that sense, the Korean government should come up with solutions, not just protest against the reports.

NGO Warns Of Spread Of 'Enjo Kosai' In Asia

In South Korea, 222 girls aged 18 or younger were arrested for enjo kosai in 2000, and 63 percent of them were 16 or under.  Although South Korea enacted a law in 2000 to protect children from prostitution, the government has punished girls who engaged in enjo kosai, saying that children who willingly commit prostitution are not protected by the law.

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Human Trafficking in  [South Korea]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [South Korea]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [South Korea]  [other countries]