Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Karabeara]

allegal

What exactly does that mean?

I often see and hear this advertisment by some head military guy on AFN TV and radio. He says, "Human trafficking is allegal." Perhaps the guy just speaks with a horrible Suthern drawl, but I am beginning to think otherwise.

There is no definition for allegal on dictionary.com's site. Should the following definition be added?

Perhaps allegal means that the US military will send MPs and CPs to run in and out of hooker bars in Itaewon, where the local Korean girls are working voluntarily to support their family, yet ignore the filipina bars in Osan, where the filipina girls are actually victims of trafficking?

I recently saw this first-hand, and spoke to the girls in Osan. They were promised that they would be singers, but were forced to dance in bikinis and service customers via the barfine system. If they don't have sex with "boyfriends" who pay their barfine (troops or Korean locals), they are traded to another bar, and eventually kicked out of Korea and/or threatened.

Once they get here, they have no money to leave voluntarily, and are forced to sleep in one big apartment with the other workers. They are not allowed to leave during the day, but for a few hours. The door is often guarded. If they aren't barfined by a customer, they must come home immediately after work.

Is this what allegal means? To allow the real human trafficking to happen, while putting on a false face of actually trying to do something about it in Seoul, where the newspapers are?

So it must mean that human trafficking, according to the USFK, is "a legal" thing?

We need to get Oprah to do a story about this. It's worth the time. It's one thing to condone prostitution. If you do, that's your own business, IMHO. But to make a stink about it in radio and TV ads, and put up a front to the Seoul public, yet actually allow it to happen next to your own military base (Osan) is yet another.

[Richard Krainium]

I've been wondering the same thing ever since I first heard it, too.

I totally agree with your observations about the girls from the P.I.

I doubt any hooker on the "hill" has been trafficked, at least not lately.

[seoulsucker]

I recently finished a decent book on human trafficking, and from what it sounds like the Fillipinas in Osan definitely qualify as sex slaves. However, it's not nearly as bad as India...from what I read that place is the worst of the worst.

I would think that the girls in Osan are allowed to use condoms during the transaction, and at least are fed more than once a day. Chances are they're older than 12, too.

It's a classic story, and what's sad is that it's usually girls from their own communities who sell them out. The OGs who have been around a country and actually managed to pay off their "travel debt" to the brothel perhaps save a little money make their way home with new jewlery, maybe a wireless phone. The girls from their poor village see this, and start dreaming of a life less ordinary. They're promised jobs in "entertainment", and as soon as they're processed through immigration, their savior literally sells them to a brothel owner who uses the relocation expenses as a marker that they must work to pay off in a titty bar.

Kinda like the hagwon industry.

[indytrucks]

[RACETRAITOR]

You may rest assured that the Seoul police have been contacted about the problem via the Seoul Metropolitan Police Snitch Board.

http://www.smpa.go.kr/smpaWeb/bbs/board/listMain.asp?code=for_eng&page=&s=&c=&sort=&sk=

[Porter_Goss]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[anyway]

Murder is supposed to be illegal too - unless you're in the US military, of course. Then you can kill whoever you want, and you shouldn't have to worry about being accused of any war crimes, either.

[BigBlackEquus]

Ugh... yet another C decides to jump on the U.

Why do all topics have to end up like this?

[Beej]

[I-am-me]

The US military does close some of those bars if found dealing in prostitution. Sometimes it is very hard to know which clubs are involved in the business. If they do get caught..the clubs are off limits for a few weeks. It gives the clubs some time to get some new entertainers for the troops. If the girls are ugly..the bars are more likely to be targeted.

[Porter_Goss]