{"id":2201643,"date":"2023-07-10T17:30:41","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T08:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201643"},"modified":"2023-07-19T16:48:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T07:48:52","slug":"behind-the-screen-how-south-korean-minors-are-exploited-in-digital-sex-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/07\/behind-the-screen-how-south-korean-minors-are-exploited-in-digital-sex-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the screen: How South Korean minors are exploited in digital sex trade"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf you want to make some serious money, we require a full-body photograph,\u201d a shadowy online recruiter who purports to offer a lucrative side job at a massage parlor offering sex services tells Christina, a 22-year-old exchange student, over Kakao Talk \u2014 South Korea\u2019s ubiquitous mobile messenger app.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe associates who cater to our VIP clientele can earn upwards of $1,154 (1.5 million won) a night. Our clients are primarily executives, so they\u2019re often generous with tips.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Christina is not real but merely a fake identity created by <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. The recruiter at the other end of the conversation never revealed their name.<\/span><\/p>\n This clandestine exchange represents an emerging challenge faced by many young adults grappling with financial difficulties in South Korea: the increasing accessibility of the sex industry via digital platforms and falling victim to exploitation as a result.<\/span><\/p>\n In South Korea, modern recruitment methods have eroded barriers to direct interaction with sex trade intermediaries, leading to an insidious growth of covert and difficult-to-trace forms of sex work.<\/span><\/p>\n Law enforcement seems to be struggling to keep pace with the rapid migration of South Korea\u2019s sex industry to online platforms and hidden locations, as reports show an increasing number of sexual exploitation victims, a Korea Pro analysis reveals.<\/span><\/p>\n PREDATORY PRACTICES<\/b><\/p>\n While prostitution is not unique to South Korea, the country recently witnessed a sharp surge in the number of children and adolescents seeking assistance after experiencing sexual exploitation, data shows.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, the Support Center for Children and Youth Victims of Prostitution <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> 862 cases of children and youth seeking assistance, an 18% increase from the previous year. This figure, combined with alarming reports from the <\/span>Dasi Hamggae<\/span><\/a> Call Center, a helpline for sexual exploitation victims, paints a dire picture of heightened exposure to assault, intimidation, non-consensual filming and fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n Emerging forms of covert prostitution are a key factor exacerbating this crisis, significantly complicating law enforcement efforts, experts tell <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA large number of young people are spending substantial time online. Presently, we\u2019re observing a worrying uptick in the use of online platforms for sexual exploitation purposes,\u201d Cho Jin-kyung, the head of Stand Up Against Sex-Trafficking of Minors, which aids young exploitation victims, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n