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The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the early years of the 21st Century, 2000 to 2025                               gvnet.com/childprostitution/SouthKorea.htm

Republic of Korea - ROK

(South Korea)

Since the 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy.

The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption.  [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

SouthKorea

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.

HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE

Students

If you are looking for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this page and others to see which aspects of child prostitution are of particular interest to you.  You might be interested in exploring how children got started, how they survive, and how some succeed in leaving.  Perhaps your paper could focus on runaways and the abuse that led to their leaving.  Other factors of interest might be poverty, rejection, drug dependence, coercion, violence, addiction, hunger, neglect, etc.  On the other hand, you might choose to write about the manipulative and dangerous adults who control this activity.  There is a lot to the subject of Child Prostitution.  Scan other countries as well as this one.  Draw comparisons between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions.  Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources that are available on-line.

Teachers

Check out some of the Resources for Teachers attached to this website.

HELP for Victims

International Organization for Migration
21 83 01 91
Country code: 82-

 

*** FEATURED ARTICLE ***

NGO Warns Of Spread Of 'Enjo Kosai' In Asia

Yoshimi Nagamine, Yomiuri Shimbun, May 5, 2004

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[accessed 24 July 2011]

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.

 

*** ARCHIVES ***

ECPAT ‪(617) 394-1329, ‪Regional Overview: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in East and South-East Asia [PDF]

ECPAT International, November 2014

www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Regional%20CSEC%20Overview_East%20and%20South-%20East%20Asia.pdf

[accessed 8 September 2020]

Maps sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT), online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), trafficking of children for sexual purposes, sexual exploitation of children through prostitution, and child early and forced marriage (CEFM). Other topics include poverty and inequality, migration, armed conflicts, natural disasters and displacement, and traditional practices.

Human Rights Reports » 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 10, 2020

www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/south-korea/

[accessed 8 September 2020]

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN - The age of consent is 13. It is illegal to deceive or pressure anyone younger than 19 into having sexual intercourse. In July a law went into effect penalizing adults who have sexual intercourse with teenagers between ages 13 and 16 by taking advantage of mental, physical, or financial difficulties, regardless of whether the minor consented. The penalty for rape of a minor younger than age 13 ranges from 10 years to life in prison; the penalty for rape of a minor age 13 to under 19 is five years’ to life imprisonment. Other penalties include electronic monitoring of offenders, public release of their personal information, and reversible hormone treatment. The law prohibits the commercialization of child pornography. Offenders convicted of producing or possessing child pornography materials for the purpose of selling, leasing, or distributing for profit are subject to a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment. In addition anyone who possesses child pornography may be fined up to 20 million won ($16,600).

During the year, the criminal appeals court of the Seoul Central District Court came under fire for sentencing the operator of a dark-web child pornography website, Son Jong-woo, to only 18 months in prison. In October authorities from 38 countries arrested more than 330 users of the website, including 223 South Koreans. In March 2018 the trial court suspended the 18-month sentence, saying Son had “acknowledged his crime and reflected on his wrongdoing.” The appeals court overruled the trial court suspension, calling it too light and reinstated the sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment. These decisions highlighted the light sentences, a fine or suspended sentence, typically given to those convicted of viewing child pornography. For example, in January courts ordered a defendant to pay a fine of three million won ($2,490) for downloading child pornography 968 times during a 10-month period. The court stated that it “took into consideration the fact that it was a first-time offense and that the defendant was sorry for what he had done.”

Children, especially runaway girls, were vulnerable to sex trafficking, including through online recruitment.

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

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 31 January 2003

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/korea2003.html

[accessed 23 December 2010]

[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

Kang Shin-who, The Korea Times, 2007-09-13

www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/113_10113.html

[accessed 24 July 2011]

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

Kang Shin-who, Asian Sex Gazette, 8 September 2006

www.asiansexgazette.com/asg/korea/korea02news89.htm

[accessed 23 December 2010]

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.

Five Years After Stockholm [PDF]

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action

ECPAT International, November 2001

www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/five_years_after_stockholm.pdf

[accessed 13 September 2011]

[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

Moon Gwang-lip, The Korea Times, 8 September 2004

www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14444

[accessed 23 December 2010]

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.

 

*** EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE ***

 

ECPAT Global Monitoring Report on the status of action against commercial exploitation of children - SOUTH KOREA [PDF]

ECPAT International, 2006

www.ecpat.net/A4A_2005/PDF/EAP/Global_Monitoring_Report-SOUTH_KOREA.pdf

[accessed 24 July 2011]

South Korea’s rapid socio-economic development has improved the quality of life for its children and youth, narrowed the gender gap and improved access to education. At the same time, the influence of a strong sexual culture and ‘sex merchandising’ and the rapid development of information technology (IT) – telecommunications and other media – have contributed to an increase in the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).

South Korea has one of the highest numbers of Internet users in the world: nearly 80 per cent of the population. Research conducted in 2005 by the Naeil Women’s Centre for Youth (the ECPAT group in the country) showed that the Internet is now a more popular venue for trading in sex than ‘ticket tea houses’ (escort-type services offering prostitution).

The non-governmental organization (NGO) Korean Women’s House reports an average of 100,000 runaway children and youths per year, many of whom are employed in entertainment establishments for adults and are sexually exploited. Research conducted by the Naeil Women’s Centre for Youth confirmed that runaway children are at a high risk of being sexually exploited commercially. Of the 442 runaway youths (326 females, 116 males) interviewed, 81 per cent were aged between 13 and 18, while 19 per cent were over 19 years of age. Forty-three per cent of the 442 runaway youths had been approached to engage in the sex trade, and 24 per cent had experience of commercial sex after running away. Friends’ houses and jiimjiibang (sauna/bath houses which operate 24 hours a day and provide sleeping facilities) were cited as popular places for the runaways to sleep at night as they are relatively safe and cheap. However, recent legislation prohibits underage customers, without accompanying adults, from staying in the jiimjiibang after 10 pm, thereby increasing the vulnerability of runaway minors to violence and sexual abuse, as few other safe options exist.

Human Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006

2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61613.htm

[accessed 11 February 2020]

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.

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