Is legalizing prostitution a realistic alternative to solve the complex problems of South Korean society?

Legalizing the sex trade is presented as an alternative to address the impracticality of prohibition and the expansion of the illegal market. The potential for social and economic benefits, such as protecting the rights of prostitutes, preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and increasing tax revenue, are discussed.

 

The old saying “the red-light district keeps the house in order” comes to mind. The phrase was originally a metaphor for how difficult it is to maintain moral values in extreme situations. However, it raises the question of whether it still applies in the modern world: is buying sex a bad thing, especially in a country where men have voracious sexual appetites, and no amount of discipline will keep them from doing so? And are the human rights of prostituted women truly protected in this process, or is it pushing them further into desperate situations, forcing them to flee the country and be smuggled into the country?
These questions are not just ethical and moral ones. Access to prostitution is a complex issue that involves economic, social, and psychological factors. In a society like South Korea, these issues are particularly complex. The above article is from a column in the Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo. It was published a few years ago, and it was an unconventional column that received a lot of criticism from readers at the time. It’s a rather provocative topic, but in this blog, we’re going to discuss the legalization of prostitution.
In the first place, most countries in the world, not just Korea, have laws against prostitution. South Korea has long since implemented the Prostitution Act and put a lot of effort into eliminating brothels. However, these laws are not an ideal solution in themselves, and the “balloon effect” they have created has negated the purpose of the legislation. Today’s sex trafficking has spread to massage parlors, sports massage parlors, rest stops, kissing rooms, office buildings, and even the internet in the form of “self-employment with conditions”. South Korea, in particular, has one of the world’s most advanced internet infrastructures, making it even more exposed to the vocalization of sex trafficking. The U.S. State Department has even labeled South Korea as a “sex trafficking exporter,” and says that prostituted women in South Korea are “voluntarily trafficked. They are smuggled into the country in search of work, and the global reach of South Korea’s sex trade industry has given rise to the term “Korean business.
Sexual desire is one of the two basic human physiological needs, along with appetite. Any policy that goes against human nature is bound to fail. I think it is more appropriate to propose a law that directly solves the problem rather than trying to realize a policy that cannot succeed. In this context, there are three main reasons why ‘prostitution laws’ are unrealistic.
First, the market for sex trafficking can never be prevented. This is because prostitution is the quintessential low-intensity, high-paying labor. Feminists only see “forced sex” through human trafficking and usury and use it as a reason to ban prostitution, but the reality is quite the opposite. Most prostitutes choose to sell sex voluntarily because it’s a quick and easy way to make money. It’s practically impossible to stop this market from happening, where the buyer’s desire for sex matches the seller’s desire for money.
Second, there is no way to crack down on prostitution. As evidenced by the fact that many office buildings in Ilsan, Bundang, and Gangnam are now being used as prostitution venues, sex trafficking, which used to be restricted to certain places, is now taking place in general residential areas regardless of location. Therefore, even if a law is enforced, there is little way to actually crack down on it.
Third, the value of ‘sex’ differs too much between sellers and buyers. Contrary to the wishes of the feminist camp, someone can buy and sell their sex without compromising their dignity. Furthermore, there are those who object to the idea of special treatment for sex. Is it fair to respect the human rights of those who sell sex while not respecting the human rights of emotional workers who smile and greet every car that enters the parking lot of a department store, or the human rights of butchers who kill animals for food?
The irrationality of the ‘Prostitution Act’ cannot be ignored. First, few women’s organizations that talk about “women’s rights” in prostitution acknowledge that prostitutes are “people who want to work voluntarily. For example, on the afternoon of May 17, 2011, brothel workers rallied in front of Times Square in Yeongdeungpo-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, to protest against the closure of brothels. The Women’s Ministry criticized the protest as “women who came to the protest under pressure from their pimps,” when in fact none of them were forced to come. It was a battle of gender discourse and labor rights, or in other words, a battle between policymakers who “can’t stand that there are women like them making money in the sex trade” and “workers who can’t make ends meet with a day’s work.”
Second, “the labor rights of lower-class women in their 30s and 40s” are underrepresented in the discourse around prostitution. The prostitution market has become more stratified since its legalization. The industry has spread from the primary market, where “young, pretty women” are paid handsomely by rich men, to the secondary market, which is comprised of room salons, massage parlors, and other variants. The number of “new sellers” has increased in recent years due to the recession and youth unemployment. While the sex trade industry is difficult to quantify in terms of statistics, it is easy to see that the number of new female sellers in their 20s has increased through the expansion of office sex and room salons. It is important to note what happened to “sex selling” by women in their 30s and 40s after the Prostitution Act. It is highly unlikely that they would have successfully reintegrated into society after being forced out of their workplaces, such as public stalls, and handed over to new sellers in their 20s.
Considering these unrealistic and irrational elements of the “prostitution ban” law, we can conclude that a more rational approach is to legalize the market for prostitution when it exists, rather than outlaw it. There are three reasons why legalizing prostitution makes sense.
First, legalizing prostitution allows people to operate legally and collect taxes. In the case of Antwerp, Belgium, the city was able to collect $800,000 more in taxes after legalizing prostitution. This is a way to capitalize on prostitution as an economic resource.
Second, focusing on legalized areas can better address the diseases that sexually transmitted infections cause. STI rates have been rising steadily across the country since the legalization of prostitution. In fact, 60% of seniors over the age of 65 have engaged in prostitution, and 3 out of 10 have contracted an STD. Furthermore, according to The Korea Times, the criminalization of prostitution has led to an increase in prostitution among teenage females, leading to a 23% increase in STI rates among teenage females from 2007 to 2011. Because they are forced to hide their STIs and not seek proper treatment, they are often left untreated until their symptoms worsen.
Third, legalizing the sex trade would provide a safer working environment for the women who work in it. Currently, most women in the sex trade work in dilapidated and rundown buildings to avoid publicizing their work. Legalization would allow them to work in a safer environment with public safety rules.
Legalizing the sex trade is just one way to address the complex issues in South Korean society. Efforts should be made to prevent the voicelessness of the industry, protect the rights of prostitutes, and reduce social problems. This requires not only changes in laws and institutions, but also in the perception of society as a whole. The discussion of legalizing prostitution cannot be limited to ethical issues alone, and it is important to approach it from multiple perspectives.