Refer Report
Even in 2024, the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Special Act on the Punishment, etc. of Prostitution, the illegal prostitution industry is still thriving. The main culprits supporting the prostitution industry, which was estimated to be worth 30-37 trillion won (based on the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice Policy, 2016), are sex buyers and prostitution brokers, but the government is also responsible. The Hankyoreh investigative team has tracked the issues in the government’s response for five months and has published the stark reality of the prostitution brokerage business that has become a highly profitable business.
“There is absolutely no evidence to prove that he directly arranged prostitution. It is impossible to specify when, where, and how the prostitution was arranged.”
In July 2023, the Seoul Suseo Police Station decided not to prosecute (dismiss) the case of ‘B○○ Massage’ in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu on charges of prostitution mediation, and notified the accuser as follows. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Again Together Counseling Center, which conducts prostitution monitoring and prevention activities, had previously investigated and reported B○○ Massage in March of that year. The center monitors and continuously monitors establishments that have received reports or complaints about prostitution or have been punished for related charges, and B○○ Massage was one of them. During the on-site investigation last year, B○○ Massage blocked the entry of female investigators from the center, and the center reported it to the police after checking several reviews of B○○ Massage prostitution posted online, but the case was eventually dismissed.
There are many reviews of prostitution… Police: “No evidence”
The police decided to dismiss the case, stating that “in cases where there is insufficient specific reason or circumstance to initiate an investigation, such as when the accusation is based solely on media reports of unclear truth or information and communication network postings such as the Internet, anonymous tips, hearsay or speculation from third parties that are not directly related to the accusation, or the accuser’s guess” (Article 108, Paragraph 4, Section 4, Police Investigation Rules). In 2018, the Again Together Counseling Center also reported B○○ Massage to the police on charges of prostitution mediation, but the case was dismissed at that time as well.
The problem is that this police decision seems far from the truth. B○○ Massage, which has been in operation since the 1990s, is a well-known club-type prostitution establishment in Gangnam, Seoul, which is introduced on famous prostitution brokerage sites and frequently appears in prostitution review communities. The Dasihamkke Counseling Center revealed that as of the end of June, it had found 13 prostitution review posts about B○○ Massage on just one prostitution site.
However, the only police activities related to this establishment are two: a 40-year-old man who caused a commotion at the counter in 2019 and was arrested and fined 500,000 won on charges of obstruction of business, and a 2018 case where a so-called “tangchigi” criminal was caught who extorted money from B○○ Massage by saying he would “report illegal prostitution.” Rather than punishing illegal prostitution, they have only been punishing those who interfere with the establishment’s business.
The situation is similar for the district office. According to the administrative disposition history of the Seoul Gangnam District Office on the B○○ massage parlor over the past 10 years, which was received through Rep. Yong Hye-in (Basic Income Party) of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, the only disposition was a warning to a customer on June 16, 2023 for ‘providing and consuming alcohol’.
Prostitution investigation sluggish… Suspicion of collusion between police and businesses
Given this situation, some suspect that the passive attitude of the private sector is due to collusion between the prostitution business and the police. In relation to this, a prostitution police officer who met with the Hankyoreh investigative team confirmed that “there has been no collusion with the police since the 2000s (since the times have changed),” but there are frequent cases where police officers are disciplined or taken to trial on related charges.
A police officer in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, was sentenced to 8 months in prison in the first trial on charges of helping the owner of a prostitution establishment, who was introduced to him by an acquaintance in 2021, escape by indicting the owner without detention. In addition, a police officer in Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul was caught on charges of knowing that a prostitution establishment was being operated by a person related to the establishment but turning a blind eye to it, providing information on crackdowns, and receiving bribes. He was sentenced to prison and detained in the appeal trial in May 2021.
The 13th Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Jang Nak-won) ruled in favor of the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a police officer who was suspended for one month in 2020 on charges of collusion with a business owner, stating, “There is a strong suspicion that he was in collusion with sex workers.” The police officer told a prostitution establishment official he knew, “I think I’m going to the prostitution crackdown team,” to which the establishment official responded, “I’ll repay you with money,” saying, “If you go to the crackdown team, it would be good if you could give me information about the crackdown, and I hope you’ll accept the report later. Or at least let me avoid arrest.” Two months after making the remark, the police officer was actually transferred to the prostitution investigation team of the Public Safety Department of a local police agency, and it was revealed that he had invested 20 million won in the prostitution establishment and received 2 million won in profits, and he was referred to the disciplinary committee.
According to the data on the status of disciplinary actions for collusion in business establishments submitted to Rep. Cho Eun-hee (People Power Party) by the National Police Agency, 42 police officers were disciplined for collusion in business establishments between 2017 and 2021. By type, the most common case was receiving bribes and entertainment, with 27 cases, followed by providing crackdown information in 7 cases, requesting cases in 6 cases, and suspending crackdowns and improperly handling cases in 1 case each. The most common target of collusion was prostitution establishments, with 19 places. Rep. Yoon Geon-young (Democratic Party of Korea) recently requested information on the status of those disciplined for collusion, but the National Police Agency stated, “We do not maintain collusion statistics.”
There are also voices complaining about the difficulty of investigating prostitution businesses in the field. They say that evidence must be clearly found at the scene to be sent to trial and found guilty, but this process is not easy. Prostitution businesses are increasingly using sophisticated methods to avoid crackdowns. A police officer from the National Police Agency’s Sexuality Division said, “In the past, police would disguise themselves as customers to crack down on them, but these days, as businesses become more vocal and organized, they sometimes refuse to let in new customers,” adding, “(Times have changed) human rights issues are also sensitive, so investigations are not easy.”
The response from prostitution brokerage sites is also too slow
Another problem is that measures such as blocking access to prostitution-related sites are being implemented too slowly. According to data from the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), there have been a total of 86,187 requests for correction (blocking) of information related to online prostitution over the past five years. The number of requests last year was 25,236, but this year, as of the end of July, there were 27,347, exceeding last year’s level.
In cases where it is difficult to collect evidence for prostitution brokerage sites, it can take more than a month to actually block access. In this situation, most operators of prostitution brokerage sites change their site addresses. If the site address changes, the review process must be repeated from the beginning. This is why the police and the Broadcasting and Communications Commission say in unison that cracking down on prostitution brokerage sites is “tiring.”
There are also claims that the deliberation method, which is currently held through offline meetings twice a week, should be changed. A KCC official said, “There are many requests to quickly block prostitution brokerage sites. The commission would like to quickly block access, but the regulations do not allow it.” He added, “If the National Assembly steps in and amends the law to allow written deliberation on prostitution brokerage sites, we can block them more quickly than we do now.” Currently, the KCC Act stipulates that written deliberation (including electronic documents) is possible only for digital sexual exploitation materials in order to take swift action.
Lee Jeong-eun, head of ‘Human Rights Hope Ganggangsullae’, which supports women involved in prostitution, said, “The situation is worse because prostitution arrangements are easily made not only through general prostitution sites but also through social media such as Facebook and Instagram.” She added, “As access becomes easier, the age of prostitution is also getting lower, continuing a vicious cycle. It is urgent to improve the awareness of investigative authorities (regarding the issue of prostitution arrangement).”
Reporter Kwak Jin-san kjs@hani.co.kr Reporter Chae Yoon-tae chai@hani.co.kr Reporter Park Jun-yong juneyong@hani.co.kr
Source: Korean