Korea's Industry

• In Korea, the sex industry includes: Red Light Districts, massage parlors, room salons, juicy bars, officetels, karaoke bars, kiss rooms, brothels, strip clubs, tea & coffee delivery, escort services, “dating” websites, some chatting sites, and pornography. The sex industry is not just the above; the list goes on.
• Prostitution is illegal in South Korea.
• Legal prostitution was abolished in 1948.
• When prostitution is legalized or decriminalized, it only gets worse.
• 4.1 percent of women in their 20s make a living as prostitutes.
• Estimates put a total of 1.2 million women working in the sex industry in Korea (the estimates for men are unknown).
• According to the Busan Metropolitan Police, 17.6% of local teenage prostitutes first sold sex between the ages of 13 & 14 and 58.8% between the ages of 15 & 16.
• More than half the girls arrested for prostitution are under 16 years old.
• Studies reveal that one in five men in South Korea buy sex more than four times a month.
• The sex industry contributes more to South Korea's economy than the agricultural and fishery industries combined.
• In 2007, Korea's sex trade was estimated at 14 trillion won ($13 billion).
• South Korean men continue to be a significant source of demand for child sex tourism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
• Recent estimates number that there are more than 1 million available venues for purchasing sex in Korea.
• Prostitution is so deeply embedded in Korea's culture that it is often invisible or overlooked and simply accepted as a part of culture.