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Story of crackdowns and disappearing prostitution
September 24, 2004
Tuesday. 11:40 p.m. Prostitution town in Cheongryang-ri, Seoul. Among the shops
lined up at both sides of the alley, half of them have not turned on their
lights. Even the shops with lights on have locked their doors. The prostitutes
have disappeared.
At around midnight, ten Japanese tourists appear. They are not aware of the
enforcement of new prostitution laws. When I ask one Japanese tourist, "Do you
know about the new law against prostitution?" he replies, "Then is this place
going to disappear?"
The next day. 12:40 a.m. "Resting-tel" street in Jangan-dong, Seoul.
Approximately 30 shops with signboards that read Resting-tel or Resting-bang
have all closed their doors. Police find the P Resting-tel, the only lit sign
among the shops, and raid the second floor of the building. Police discover a
secret door between the massage and stylist shops. Inside the secret door, they
find three secret chambers equipped with shower stalls and beds.
With tough new prostitution laws coming into effect on Thursday, the streets of
Cheongryang-ri stand nearly deserted, as many establishments in the once busy
red-light district in Seoul close their doors.
At the Resting-tel, only 52-years-old landlord Mr. Lee remains in his seat. "We
only provide massages and the showering facilities are for the guests. Six
girls are absent. I'm waiting for my friends to have a drink because I'm very
disappointed." At this time, two visitors try to enter the shop and then run
away when police officers try to restrain them saying "The shop is closed
today."
1:00 a.m. Around the "Meokja-golmok" in Uljiro-6ga, Seoul. Police make a
surprise raid on prostitution-oriented motels. There are two of them, Y motel
and U motel. Police open every door in the motels, but find no visitors. "It
seems that all the brothels and motels are desolated," said a police officer,
adding, "We have to get results in a couple of days, but so far it's a total
failure."
At the same time in a certain motel in Chipyoung-dong, Gwangju. Police tail two
girls and two men who leave a brothel after having a drink. They enter a
neighboring motel where police break into the room and catch them in the act.
The men are arrested for engaging in prostitution by giving W210,000 to the
girls.
Among the two arrested men, one is a doctor and the other is a manager of a
hospital. The executive officer of the brothel is also busted. "Even though the
guests were afraid of the new laws on prostitution, I allayed their fears by
saying there was no way to regulate them," he says.
2 a.m. In front of the Gangnam police station, Seoul. Some 60 blind masseuses
who belong to the Korea Massage Association try to enter the Gangnam police
station to protest against the fact that a massage shop in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul
was busted under suspicion of practicing prostitution. "Don't ruin our right to
survive," shout the masseuses as they struggle with 240 police officers.
At 2:50 a.m., a promoter, whose job it is to allure customers on the street,
telephones this reporter, saying "Do you know the masseuses are rushing the
police stations? The landlords of Resting-tels are also making a commotion,
saying they won't stand by if this sort of crackdown continues." He grows
excited and says "I shadowed the police officers today with my colleagues and
'studied' their methods of cracking down. I'm going to tell the whole truth in
the near future. How much have I paid the authorities for this job?"
As a result of crackdowns on this day, a total 138 people were busted,
including 48 landlords, 59 men trying to pay for sex, 21 prostitutes, and 10
people related to the promotion of prostitution. These were "bold-hearted"
people.
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