Reader's Voice

On prostitution...


Prostitution should not be legalized because it won’t protect prostitutes’ rights, but the rights of the owners of brothels. If you look at Germany, where prostitution is legalized, the lives of prostitutes have not changed after legalization. In order to gain full access to the workers’ rights, the prostitutes must state that they are prostitutes, and that record remains on their names forever; that’s why Korean prostitutes protested with their faces hidden. Right now, a prostitute does not have to honor the contract between the owner and her if she doesn’t want to because it is illegal anyway. But if prostitution is legalized, the owners would also gain rights for legalized business, and if prostitutes don’t perform what their contract says, the prostitutes would be disadvantaged.

― Se-jin So, Seoul


Prostitution should be banned for the sake of equal rights and a non-violent society. Prostitution is the cornerstone of today’s patriarchy. Patriarchy in society will kill the rights of women, oppress them from participating in society, which creates unfairness.

Patriarchy is the root of violence.

It is the “maleness” of patriarchal ideas which creates fist fights and nuclear wars. This bloody disaster dominating society through prostitution only lets men think of women as tools.

The hidden sexism brings about not only the lack of rights for women but also abuse towards females.

An increase in the possibility of rape, violence towards women, and sexism faces Korea if prostitution continues.

Furthermore, patriarchal society discourages women from speaking up.

More and more women will be attacked with harsh criticisms from the aggressive, “male-like” society.

This routine will repeat itself to the point where it cannot get any worse.

What is the discrepancy between slavery and the society prostitution will create for women?

For a fair, less violent society, prostitution should be stamped out in Korea before it is too late.

As a powerful, proud nation, Korea should not be a land of sexism and restriction.

― Yuh Yun-sung, Daegu


Prostitution is a problem that will never be solved, no matter what regulations are applied. It’s existed from the creation of humans and we can find the existence of prostitutes in the Bible. Because the prostitution areas are banned, the prostitutes are now expanding their working areas to even rural areas, where fewer crackdowns are done. Also, they have created new versions of prostitution such as the “Kiss room.” The workers at the “Kiss room” say it is only for kissing but who knows? If the government just legalizes prostitution and regulates it with some rules, the expansion of the business will stop and just stay in the area as it was before.

― Jocelyn Lim, Seoul