At night, U.S. officials and bar owners say, this narrow street known as “Hooker Hill” in Itaewon is often filled with women offering sex for money. A countrywide crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking appears to be working, according to South Korean police. (Teri Weaver / S&S)
SEOUL — Now in its sixth month, the countrywide crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking appears to be having an effect, according to South Korean police statistics.
Police and civic groups say the problem is far from under control but the numbers are encouraging.
Since the crackdown went into effect in September, more than 580 people, accused of being pimps and sex industry buyers, have been arrested, Korean National Police officials said. More than 600 brothels have been shut down in the same time period.
And between arresting sex workers and encouraging them to leave the sex industry, police said, the numbers of such workers have been halved.
“The steep decrease in the number of brothels is one of the biggest fruits of the crackdown,” Senior Superintendent Lee Geum-hyoung, who has led the Korean National Police campaign against the sex trade, told reporters last week.
“Red-light districts are the hotbed of many crimes, such as violence, narcotics and human rights violations,” he said.
Technically, prostitution is illegal in South Korea although the practice has flourished openly. Red-light districts operated with impunity for decades.
Last year, South Korean officials announced an aggressive plan meant to close all of the estimated 70 red-light districts in the country by 2007. A few weeks later, the government adopted tougher laws meant to allow for more arrests and prosecution in sex-trade related cases.
