Korean Job Discussion Forums

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Foreign female duo arouses suspicions in downtown Seoul

Stories have been circulating recently about a duo of Southeast Asian women in the crowded shopping districts of downtown Myeong-dong, suspected of acting as agents of human trafficking organizations.

"Two women, who look Southeast Asian, would come and ask their way to a specific place, usually a popular tourist spot," said Chung Jee-won, a 29-year-old woman living in Seoul.

One would hardly become suspicious based just on such requests, as Myeong-dong is one of the busiest streets in Seoul, always full of inquiring tourists, she explained.

"It is a highly probable theory that they are cat's paws for human trafficking organizations, targeting at kidnapping and selling off women in their 20s."

Because of these risks, people now cannot but suspect all strangers in the streets..."
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/12/09/200912090014.asp

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[Burndog]

WOW! I can't believe that they didn't talk to any police or government sources for this article...in fact they mainly seem to quote that one woman who suspects that they are a 'cats paw'.

I think that their behaviour may be suspect...but I don't see any evidence of human trafficking in what they were doing. None at all. I mean...why not suspect that they were thieves or some such? i just don't get how they got from point A (suspicious conversation in poor Korean about tourist spots) to point B (human trafficking).

[conrad2]

The movie Taken has been playing on cable a lot recently. Come on. Its more likely these women are pick pockets than anything else.

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[mc_jc]

So if I were to stop and ask a Korean woman for diections, I could be accused of working for a human trafficking ring?

[sketcha]

hahaha, man ... it does seem sad

next, they'll threaten to call the police if you happen to just smile at them

it seems to me that a lot of Koreans are just building walls around themselves

there's something to be said about common sense and protecting yourself, I'd tell my sister or girl friends if a situation doesnt seem right, walk away quickly, but lets not develop an attitude that all strangers are villains

[mc_jc]

[Lynns]

I think they are practicing their Korean. I used to have a classmate at Sogang who would do that--he'd go into the subway and pretend to be lost, ask lots of questions, engage Koreans in pointless conversations. Then he'd go get in his car and drive home.

[misher]

^^^

haha that's awesome.

[redaxe]

Korea is known as a "hub" of human trafficking for the sex trade and many thousands of women from other Asian countries have been sold into prostitution here, not to mention all the Korean prostitutes with Korean pimps. But as soon as there's a rumor about foreign pimps doing it to Korean women, it's moral panic time!!!

Typical.

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[Emark]

The article failed to add:
these suspicious characters were tracked to their home that night, and following an overnight stake out, these same characters went off to work in the morning at their E-2 sponsored positions at Wonderland.

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[Sked]

think i'd arouse suspicion if i turned up dressed like this?:

http://okathleen.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/downloadblog.jpeg