Some might reasonably argue that banning prostitution in Korea is a lot like trying to ban drinking in Russia (more on this later), but USFK wants you to know that it’s doing its part:
A 2002 report by a Fox News affiliate alleged U.S. military members and military police patrols were patronizing bars in South Korea where women from the Philippines and Russia had been forced into the sex trade. In response, the Helsinki Commission chairman, Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., and 12 other members of Congress requested an immediate Pentagon investigation.
The investigation, headed by Schmitz, looked into the military?????s role in the sex trade in South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. A report issued after that investigation faulted military commands for a misperception of human trafficking problems and said further education for servicemembers was needed.
In response, U.S. military officials in South Korea say they embarked on an aggressive program to combat the sex trade and human trafficking. Among other initiatives: increasing both uniformed and nonuniformed patrols in known sex-trade enclaves; putting suspect establishments and even entire neighborhoods on ???off limits???? lists; and creating a human trafficking hotline for servicemembers to report suspected cases.
USFK commander Gen. Leon LaPorte will apparently testify before the House Armed Services Committee on USFK efforts to root out U.S. military prostitution in Korea.
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USFK has been in Korea for 50 years, so what took so long to do something about it?
USFK has been in Korea for 50 years, so what took so long to do something about it?
Gee, I don’t really know. Prostitution has been in Korea for 5,000 years, so what took so long for them to pass the ??±?§¤?§¤ ??¹?³??²?, which goes into operation this Thursday?
I suspect this law will have a few big busts the first couple of weeks and then just fade away. There is a big effort all over the world being made by human rights groups and Bush to stop human trafficking and prostitution in the past few years. Even Japan has been told to do something about the problem and have started to implement laws to stop it. If the laws are all bark and no bite is something I don’t know about.
You missed my point, Marmot. We’re not arguing who’s worse or better pertaining to prostitution.
The question is why the USFK suddenly want to crack down on prostitution in Korean bases, when it didn’t show much interest before? Why now? And what made them change their minds?
Well, the article would suggest they’re getting pressure from Washington, and a new law in South Korea is supposedly going into operation Thursday to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking, so that might have something to do with the timing. Of course, there is growing recognition, too, that many of the women employed in the sex trade are not there by virtue of their own free will, which is obviously a factor in this. BTW, to be frank, I have no idea how that S. Korean law will work out in the end — watching interviews on Yonhap News today, it appeared that women were skeptical at best, pointing out that for that law to work, there first needed to be a change in the way men think. Hard to legislate a ban on something like this, given the social mores involved.
As for why nobody did anything before, I think USFK would say that they have done things before, but realistically speaking, you have a lot of unmarried young men in an area with a much more tolerant attitude toward prostitution and — in Korea’s development years — a lot of financial incentive for young Korean women to go into the trade, so cracking down was going to be a pretty futile affair even if you were earnest in the endeavor. I mean, assuming you managed through divine intervention to clean out the GI-geared base areas, it wouldn’t require a long trip to get to other establishments outside the base towns providing the desired services — establishments which are literally a five minute walk from any given geographic point in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula with the exception of uninhabited mountain areas. It could also be argued that the base town prostitution provided a service to the Korean authorities (and USFK) by keeping horny young GIs concentrated in certain areas relatively far away from the daughters of the bulk of the population.
I’m not sure if you find that answer satisfactory, but it’s the best I’ve got at the moment.
Marmot - I believe we talked about this that night we were out drinking. In the last couple of years USFK has made some changes to their entertainment in the clubs on the various posts after female soldiers complained of being offended by the performances. I also remember that when I first came to Korea with the military in the mid-80s that we had “Steam and Creams” on almost all the bases. Being young, ignorant and trusting, I thought I would go to the one at the replacement center at Camp Coiner because it had be recommended by the cadre. “Special massages” were only about 6 dollars and the girl that gave me my “sports massage” soon knew my body better than I did. It is to my understanding (urban myth) that these places were closed down after the general’s wife discovered what they were.
It is really hard to put USFK into a proper place - gambling was illegal back in the States, and I knew several soldiers that received article 15s (UCMJ) for poker games in the barracks. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that gambling was not only legal, but indirectly encouraged in Korea.
Wish you the best in Mongolia
Robert
Sorry - for the poorly worded post but it is 3 in the morning -
as a person that is somewhat familiar with the more risque areas in seoul.. i can say that there is no way the USFK can police these areas. they don’t have the manpower. there are too many of them. sure, there are SOME women, especially Russian and Filipinos, that are basically tricked into prostitution, but the vast majority of the red lights are populated with korean women. many of which are underage (below 18).
keep in mind also, the girls that are brought from other countries aren’t forced to have sex with anyone, but doing so will release them from their contracts sooner. many chose to have sex so they can return, others chose not to and must wait longer. i expect this law to be minimally enforced just like the new laws passed in thailand in the 90s.
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This is cross-posted at Winds of Change. Asia by Blog is a twice weekly feature, posted on Mondays and Thursdays (the latest edition is here). You can be notified by email when it is updated, just drop me an email at simon-[at]-simonworld-[dot]-mu-[dot…
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there is alot more going on then you know…in these bars you buy the girl a drink for 10 dollars, 5 dollars goes to the bar owner and 5 to the girl…in some places, if you buy enough drinks, or maybe a big drink, you get sex in return, the army is now trying to educate the soldiers, but the koreans are very sneeky about this and don’t want to admit or advertise thata big drink or buy me so many drinks will get you sex, this is how they work around it..also everyone in korea has a cell phone..in the more proffesional brothels these girls will exchange numbers with you and then start calling you to tell you how much they miss and love you and bali bali..come to the club, where of course a lonely gi will go and spend more money on drinks because he’s lonely and these girls are very good at it make you feel wanted and special, but it’s all about the money
one of the worst places to exploit this is camp humphreys korea, there really isn’t alot to do there so the club owners make out big time…also in addition to phone calls, if you were to get somewhat close with one of these girls (Korean girls) because humphreys has alot of russian and oher girls. They will go as far as takingou to meet the family so you will feel more sorry for them..the Eagles club at camp humphreys is good at this, also twice a year the marines come in, march and august…they can’t wait for that plus the holidays particularly december when a soldier may be feeling rather lonely…they take advantadge of every angle they can. The bottom line is that a soldier can spend almost his years earnings on these girls and when its time to leave, too bad so sad, although iv’e seen several soldiers marry russian girls and are happy, it’s the korean girls that really take it to you…..another reason is the korean mafia, they control the ville, if koreans want to protest against us there, the mafia interevenes and because camp humphreys is one of those places no one really blinks an eye to, most of it is ignored, i’ve seen post sergeant major telling girls to give him a call……..as far as i’m concerened there is really nothing being done at camp humphreys to inforce this, but i will say that there is an honest effort being made in seoul
I lived in S. Korea for 6 yrs 2 of which were in the military. I’ve seen and done it all, but to what it boils down to is education and I don’t mean the kind you get in a class room but the type you get from street smarts and learning to indulge your self into another?€™s cultural upbringing. When I first arrived there I picked up a book and taught my self the language. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the language, culture, basically the dos and don?€™ts. I know that place better than most people that have lived there for 20 yrs. However that?€™s not my point, the point is, is that the whole country knows that most Soldiers make more money in one month than a doctor in a hospital in Seoul. They all have this idea that every American lives like they do in a Hollywood movie. They think we?€™re rich and money will keep coming no matter what. As far as making a soldier feel sorry for some chic in a bar, or taking him to see ?€œher?€? family that would never happen. The sex trade in Korea might be known but is not common talk at say the dinner table with your mom and dad.
Here is a little know fact about why most Korean girls that work in a bar or as a hostess etc. Her family has fallen on bad times, whether it be a family member has had an accident and is in the hospital or the family is trying to support a brother or son in getting his degree from one of the top Universities in the Country. So the need the money to get this done. The average family in Korea makes about $1,600.00 a month. That?€™s not a lot to us but to them it?€™s all they can get with out a degree. School in Korea is as expensive as it is here in the States. So these girls go to one of these bars and tell them that they will work for them if they can barrow some money. So these girls barrow say around $100,000.00 they give all of it to the family then start working at the bar, club, hotel or what ever to pay back the loan. The loan is paid back as follows; 50% is paid to the club owner, 25% is paid towards her loan, 20% to the girl for pocket money and 5% for miscellaneous items, (tooth paste, toilet paper, condoms, etc).
Most girls start out saying that they will only work off the money that they owe by selling high priced drinks. That only lasts so long, then they decide what the hell is sex pays the bills so be it! So yeah these girls will do what ever it takes to make money. It?€™s ok to go down to the ville and buy some girl a drink or two or pay to bust a load off. It?€™s the guys that are too stupid to know when he is being played that gets hooked. Most of these guys are the handsome jock looking dudes that think they are slick as shit when it come to women. These girls see them coming a mile away and suck up dry, literally.
One last thing, the guy that says stuff about the Eagles club is smoking crack. I?€™ve known the owners for 10 yrs and they have never done shit like that. I assure you I know them very well. Oh, and I never married a bar girl, just used them.
Very entertaining read.
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