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Time Business News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Business News
Korean Adult Services: Culture, Controversy, and Change
The adult entertainment industry in South Korea, often referred to by the Japanese term '韓国 風俗' (Kankoku fūzoku), is a complex, multifaceted world that exists beneath the surface of the country's modern image. Though technically illegal under South Korean law, various forms of adult services continue to operate discreetly and, at times, openly, under the protection of social tolerance, legal gray areas, and evolving business models. For outsiders, the term 韓国 風俗 may conjure images of neon-lit streets and red-light districts, but in reality, it spans a much broader and more nuanced spectrum—from high-end escort services and massage parlors to hostess clubs and hidden online networks. This article explores the cultural roots, legal battles, changing forms, and ongoing controversies surrounding the Korean adult entertainment industry. The term '韓国 風俗' combines the word for 'Korea' (韓国) with 'fūzoku,' a Japanese word that originally meant customs or manners, but which has come to imply the sex industry in modern usage. While not commonly used by Koreans themselves, this phrase is popular among Japanese and foreign audiences looking to understand or participate in South Korea's adult services. It encompasses a wide array of experiences, including sexual services, companionship, flirtation-based entertainment, and more. In Korea, these services are often subtly packaged under labels such as 'anma' (massage), 'room salon,' 'kiss bang' (kiss room), or even seemingly unrelated businesses like karaoke lounges and spas. The use of euphemisms and coded language is central to how 韓国 風俗 survives in a society where prostitution is illegal yet widespread. South Korean law, especially since the 2004 enactment of the Anti-Prostitution Law (the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic), defines prostitution as a criminal offense. Both sellers and buyers of sex can be prosecuted, and brothels or sex-related businesses are subject to closure. However, enforcement of this law is inconsistent. The law effectively pushed the sex industry underground rather than eliminating it. Visible red-light districts have been reduced, but discreet and mobile services have surged. From online bookings to home visits and hotel-based arrangements, the forms of 韓国 風俗 have adapted faster than the legal system. Authorities may occasionally crack down on these operations, but many continue to thrive under thin legal disguises, such as massage therapy or companionship services. The persistence of 韓国 風俗 in South Korea is closely tied to cultural and social practices, particularly in male-dominated business culture. In many corporate environments, entertaining clients or celebrating company milestones often includes visits to hostess bars or room salons. These venues employ attractive women who pour drinks, sing karaoke, and engage in flirtatious conversation. While not all such interactions lead to sexual services, they often serve as a gateway to more private arrangements. These practices are not officially sanctioned, but are quietly accepted as part of doing business. The culture of late-night drinking and male bonding helps sustain this ecosystem, and many of these services cater specifically to well-off professionals who can afford discretion and exclusivity. In recent years, 韓国 風俗 has undergone significant changes due to urban redevelopment, shifts in social attitudes, and technological advancement. Traditional red-light districts like Cheongnyangni 588 and Miari Texas, once bustling hubs of street-based sex work, have largely disappeared. Redevelopment projects replaced brothels with apartments and commercial buildings. However, this did not end the demand—it simply relocated the services. Today, escort services often operate from 'officetels' (office-hotel hybrid buildings), while mobile apps and websites connect clients to providers in a manner that is more discreet and customizable than ever before. The emergence of independent sex workers using social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps has decentralized the market, giving more control to some workers while also increasing risks of fraud and exploitation. Technology has dramatically transformed the way 韓国 風俗 functions in South Korea. Mobile apps, forums, private chatrooms, and encrypted messengers allow clients to book services with ease and anonymity. Websites display coded advertisements with euphemisms like 'healing massage,' 'dating service,' or 'premium companionship.' Reviews and ratings posted by users offer insights into the quality of services, locations, and pricing. While these platforms provide convenience and relative safety for both workers and clients, they also make it harder for law enforcement to monitor illegal activity or protect vulnerable individuals from coercion and abuse. Furthermore, some platforms are linked to human trafficking rings or operate with little oversight, making it a double-edged sword in the evolution of 韓国 風俗. An important factor in the popularity of 韓国 風俗 is the role of tourism, especially among foreign men seeking to explore Korea's hidden nightlife. Japanese, Chinese, and Western tourists are often drawn by fantasies rooted in the global popularity of Korean beauty standards, driven by the K-pop industry and Korean dramas. Some travel agencies and online communities offer subtle guides or even packages that include adult entertainment experiences. The idea of 'Korean escorts' or 'K-pop-style hostesses' appeals to certain fantasies and fuels demand. While this brings money into the economy, it also raises ethical questions about fetishization, racial stereotypes, and the commodification of Korean women for foreign consumption. These trends complicate the broader conversation around gender, power, and sex work. Despite the glamorized surface of some parts of 韓国 風俗, many workers face serious challenges. Economic hardship, social stigma, and legal vulnerability make sex workers one of the most marginalized groups in South Korea. Some women are lured into the industry by deceptive job ads, only to find themselves in exploitative conditions. Others are immigrants or undocumented individuals with few legal protections. Coercion, violence, and debt bondage are not uncommon in the lower tiers of the sex trade. Because the law criminalizes sex work, many workers are reluctant to report abuse or seek help. Activists and NGOs have long argued for decriminalization or at least partial legalization to improve safety, working conditions, and access to healthcare and justice for those involved. South Korean society is slowly beginning to confront the uncomfortable truths of its hidden sex industry. Younger generations, especially women, are more vocal about issues of consent, gender inequality, and workers' rights. Feminist movements have highlighted the dangers of molka (spy camera pornography), trafficking, and abuse within the adult entertainment industry. At the same time, debates persist between groups advocating for the full criminalization of prostitution as inherently exploitative and others pushing for labor rights and protection. These competing perspectives reflect a broader cultural transformation in South Korea, where traditional values and modern human rights discourse continue to clash. The future of 韓国 風俗 is uncertain. On one hand, technological advancements, social openness, and advocacy for sex worker rights could push South Korea toward a more regulated and transparent industry. On the other hand, growing concerns about exploitation and moral panic may result in tighter law enforcement and increased repression. What is clear is that the adult services industry is not going away. As long as there is demand, and as long as economic inequalities persist, people will find ways to meet that demand—legally or otherwise. Whether South Korea chooses to criminalize, regulate, or reform 韓国 風俗 will depend on how it balances public morality, human rights, and economic realities. 韓国 風俗 represents more than just the underworld of sexual services—it reflects South Korea's cultural contradictions, legal inconsistencies, and the evolving nature of intimacy in a fast-changing society. While often hidden behind euphemisms, apps, and unmarked doors, the industry is deeply embedded in the fabric of urban life, business culture, and even tourism. To understand Korean adult services is to examine a country caught between conservative traditions and modern freedoms, between repression and reform. As South Korea continues to grapple with its identity, the conversation about sex work and 韓国 風俗 will remain a powerful and revealing part of its social landscape. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Tokyo Reported
10-06-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Saitama woman, yakuza suspected of forcing runaway girl, 14, into prostitution
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a woman living in Saitama Prefecture and a member of a criminal syndicate for allegedly forcing a 14-year-old runaway girl into prostitution last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 9). On two occasions between December 23 and 28, Chihiro Fushimi, 32, and Masaru Minowa, a 33-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, are alleged to have forced the girl to engage in lewd acts with a man at a hotel in Saitama. Upon their arrests on suspicion of violating the Child Welfare Act and the Anti-Prostitution Law, the suspects admitted to the allegations. 'I made her do it to earn money,' and Minowa said. At the time, the girl was a third-year middle school student. Last November, Fushimi met the girl on a social-networking site. Chihiro Fushimi, left, and Masaru Minowa When the suspect found out that the girl had run away from home, she invited her to live at her residence in Kasukabe City. She then encouraged the girl to engage in prostitution. Minowa is an acquaintance of Fushimi. Together, they posed as the girl online to recruit customers interested in arrangements known as papakatsu , or compensated dating. The suspects drove the girl to met the men contacted online. Fushima and Minowa collected 120,000 yen from the girl's customers. The girl stayed at Fushimi's house for six days. She then returned to her parents. The incident came to light when her parents filed a missing persons report. Police have also sent documents on the pair to prosecutions on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse.
Japan Forward
26-05-2025
- Japan Forward
Raid Those Sleazy Host Clubs!
このページを 日本語 で読む The Diet has enacted the Revised Control and Improvement of Amusement Business Law to regulate malicious host clubs. It should be promulgated as early as late May and take effect in late June. We cannot continue to tolerate the injustice of shady operations forcing female customers into prostitution. Host club operators are deceptively saddling female customers with huge debts to trap them. Hopefully, the police and other relevant agencies will strictly enforce the revised law and eradicate these malicious operations. In a widespread practice, scheming hosts at such clubs entice vulnerable female customers into falling in love with them. They then convince their besotted admirers to order expensive champagne and other expensive drinks one after another. In no time, the unwary women find themselves drowning in debt to cover the hefty "tabs" they have run up. This racket has become a serious social problem. In addition, the widespread practice of "scout kickbacks" has exacerbated the damage. This refers to hosts and scouts who introduce their customers to sex establishments and then receive a "referral fee." The revised law outright bans such practices. It also clearly states that requests for food and drink that exploit "romantic feelings or other affectionate feelings" are "prohibited." Businesses using such exploitative approaches will be subject to administrative sanctions such as suspension of their business licenses. As the sun sets, street prostitutes become more visible in front of Okubo Park in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. (Some images have been edited.) Behavior designed to coerce customers to pay their inflated tabs by engaging in prostitution, working in sex establishments, appearing in adult videos, or other such acts will face heavier criminal penalties. Violators will be subject to up to six months in prison and a fine of up to ¥1 million JPY ($7,000 USD). Additionally, the use of scout kickbacks has been banned. Unlicensed businesses will also be subject to tougher penalties. Fines on such illegal businesses have been increased to a maximum of ¥300 million ($2.1 million). According to the National Police Agency, a total of 207 hosts and related persons were arrested in 2024 for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law, coercing others, or related offenses. That was an increase of 121 from the previous year. In Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district, where there are many host clubs, business operators established an industry association in April 2014. They also adopted voluntary rules, such as abolishing running tabs in the form of accounts receivable. But the reality is that the situation has not improved. The involvement of anonymous mobile crime groups in the rampant practice of scouting kickbacks has also been pointed out. Collectively, these crime groups are dubbed tokuryu . The revised entertainment law appropriately strengthens regulations regarding this vile practice. Nighttime in Minami, Osaka, where lounges and host clubs are crowded in the surrounding multi-tenant buildings. On October 4, 2024. (©Sankei by Yusuke Kizu, originally for another topic) Next, the crucial question is how to apply the law effectively. It will be difficult to clearly draw a line as to what constitutes the now-prohibited "acts based on romantic feelings." Are statements and behavior, like "You have to come to our bar, or our relationship is finished," or "If you don't want to break up, you have to drink here with me," covered? It would help if specific guidelines for crackdowns were made public. The revised entertainment law will also apply to pricey hostess clubs. After the law comes into force, we hope to see the police step up enforcement, including by actively raiding offending establishments. That is the only way we can root out these sleazy businesses. Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Asahi Shimbun
06-05-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Prostitutes move from Osaka alley after it was painted yellow
An alley in Osaka's Kita Ward is decorated with illustrated stickers after it was painted yellow on Dec. 10. (Sakiko Kondo) OSAKA—A simple change in scenery has led to a dramatic decrease in prostitutes soliciting customers in a narrow alley running through the Taiyujicho district of Osaka's Kita Ward. Masafumi Fujino, 79, head of a local crime prevention association branch, said he has seen 10 or more prostitutes in the alley about a 10-minute walk from JR Osaka Station. However, after the alley was painted yellow in December last year, the number of streetwalkers decreased by 90 percent, local authorities said. The color scheme is based on the 'nudge theory,' in which subtle environmental changes can coax people to willingly modify their behavior. In the Osaka case, the switch to yellow made the women feel uncomfortable standing on a conspicuous surface. Police are also pushing longer-term solutions, such as helping the women leave the business for good. SURGE AFTER PANDEMIC The alley is lined with hotels and restaurants, and passers-by can enter the hotels without attracting attention thanks to poor visibility. The number of prostitutes there sharply increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Some residents grew so weary of the change in their neighborhood that they moved out of the area, Fujino said. Since summer 2023, officers at the Sonezaki Police Station have sent papers to prosecutors on more than 30 women suspected of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law in the area. Despite the arrests, the women kept returning to the alley to solicit customers. 'There was a limit when all we could do was to conduct crackdowns,' Ryu Kitagawa, then chief of the community safety division at the police station, recalled. 'It was like playing a cat-and-mouse game.' The National Research Institute of Police Science suggested that the police station employ the nudge theory. Police officers and local residents painted a 100-meter stretch of the alley in yellow in December. Illustrated stickers designed by students at a local vocational school also decorate the alley. Osaka prefectural police have surveyed the alley four times a day. The results showed an average of 7.43 women solicited customers in the week before the alley was painted yellow. The maximum number was 17. One week after the paint job, the figure dropped to zero. In one week two months later, the average was 0.86, with a maximum of four, representing a 90-percent decrease. NO FUNDAMENTAL SOLUTION Local residents welcome the visual revamp, saying the alley has become easier to walk through. But authorities realize this is not a fundamental solution to prostitution. According to prefectural police, women are pushed into street prostitution after becoming debt-ridden. A survey conducted by the Sonezaki Police Station covering 28 women suspected of prostitution showed their average age was 24.4 years old, and more than 60 percent of them were saddled with debts to host clubs. One of them said she was struggling to make ends meet, and that streetwalking was more lucrative than working at a sex parlor. 'An approach that focuses on making women move away from areas where they solicit customers is something of a stopgap measure,' Takeshi Haraguchi, a professor of social geography at Kobe University graduate school, said about the painted alley. 'We need to think about why women have to stand there.' He said homeless people and other socially vulnerable groups have been removed from urban areas where international conferences, the Olympics and other large-scale events have been held. 'I think the same goes for the latest countermeasure against customer solicitation implemented ahead of the Osaka Kansai Expo,' he added. In spring 2024, the Sonezaki Police Station started making efforts to help street prostitutes leave the trade. After the investigation is concluded, police will escort women to a support organization run by a municipal government if they want such help. They have connected at least one woman to the right service, according to the station. 'We want to introduce more active countermeasures, which are not limited to crackdowns but also include establishing a system where women can receive necessary support,' an officer said.
