07/05/29 02:50:47 0
Korea export of prostitutes abroad increasing
U.S. Busts Tell Sorry Tale of Korean Prostitutes Abroad
URLﾘﾝｸ(english.chosun.com)
The number of Korean women looking for work as prostitutes abroad or being trafficked for the purpose is
on the increase. Some 50 members of two gangs busted in California on Friday on charges of selling
hundreds of Korean women to places of prostitution are just the tip of the iceberg.
Destinations for Korean sex workers are no longer limited to developed nations like the U.S., Canada,
Australia and Japan. Korean police say the number of women working in bars, karaoke clubs and massage
parlors in countries frequented by growing numbers of Korean tourists like Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan
and Kazakhstan is increasing. Meanwhile in North America the realm of activity of Korean sex workers
is spreading from major urban centers like Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto to smaller
cities and towns.
In February, it emerged that an organization sold 38 women to brothels in Australia, New Zealand and
Canada in conditions of virtual bonded labor. Police say the organization would advance the women millions
of won they had to pay back at 60 percent interest and forced them to pay medical expenses for diseases
contracted on the job. The women had to sign up to a “code of conduct” that fined them US$300 for arguing
with customers and US$50 for showing up a minute late to work.