Kim added that Korean Americans should desist from patronizing massage parlors
that are involved in the sex trade. He insisted that in order to eradicate the
problem, Koreans should report to the authorities whenever they become aware of
such establishments in their communities.
"Korean Americans have worked hard to build a respectable reputation in
American society," says Gun Bae Yoo, a member of the Bay Area Korean Community
Center. "South Korea is no longer a poor country, so there should be no need
for this kind of human trafficking."
San Francisco Korean Chamber of Commerce Director Sin Ah Kim noted that
prostitution has broken apart many families within the Korean community. "I've
seen families destroyed by these kinds of prostitutes who come from Korea
specifically to work in the sex trade," she said. "We should not allow this to
continue."
Despite these strong reactions, there is a prevailing attitude of acceptance of
prostitution among Koreans. Though offically illegal, prostitution thrives in
major Korean cities like Seoul and Pusan. Each have their own red-light
districts, where women can be seen through glass windows selling their services
to passersby.
In an interview with New California Media, Sun Jung Cho, a San Francisco
psychologist working with victims of domestic violence, said the Korean
community needs to explore the origins of prostitution and trafficking in their
country. She believes there is a lack of dialogue within the Korean community
regarding the sex trade and issues of gender inequality.
"Prostitution is something Korean people don't talk about," says Cho. "The more
we Koreans can be educated and talk about social issues such as this one
openly, we'll be in a better place to understand and analyze the sex industry
-- who are the true victims and how issues of gender inequality, which are
deeply rooted in the sex trade, give rise to such establishments."
"As long as there are demands," Cho adds, "there certainly will be people out
there to meet the needs." And if prostitution is going to exist, she said,
"whether people like it or not, then why not make it a safe job?"
Last year in Korea women working as prostitutes took to the streets, protesting
the many abuses they encounter on a daily basis. Cho believes that as long as
prostitution goes on, these women's safety from abuse by both clients and
police, and above all their dignity, must be protected.
Still, most prostitutes are seen by Koreans as lazy, immoral women, often
motivated by drugs to enter into the profession. The fact is, however, that the
majority of these women coming from Korea to the United States are, like many
immigrants, motivated by the promise of opportunity, of a better life and a
more secure future. If drugs are involved, says Cho, it is to help these women
cope with the daily struggles of their profession.
Like some of the women discovered in the recent busts, many South Korean women
unwittingly are forced into the profession, forced to repay exorbitant
transportation fees.
One woman who sought help escaping the brothel she was kept in sent a message in an Internet chat room. The woman was without her passport, which had been taken by her brokers, the people responsible for smuggling her into the United States. She was brought to the Korean consulate in San Francisco, where she received a new passport and a ticket back to Korea.
