Korea, Australia launch sex-trade crackdown

South Korea and Australia will seek joint measures to crack down on prostitution by South Korean women in the latter country, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Monday.

Moon Ha-yong, ambassador for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, will meet with his Australian counterparts in Canberra later in the day to discuss the issue, the ministry said.

“About 1,000 South Korean women in Australia are engaged in the sex trade, and most of them are abusing their working-holiday visas,” the ambassador told Yonhap News Agency by phone. “As these people are disrupting two-way exchanges in economic and human resources, our two countries will work together to develop countermeasures.”

Working-holiday visas allow holders to travel and work in either country for up to one year.

The two sides are also expected to discuss other issues of mutual interest, such as the signing of an agreement to recognize each other’s drivers’ licenses. 

(Yonhap News)