"I Will Escort You Once" Why They Go to Room Salons [Han Seung-gon's Incident Notebook]

Current and Former Prosecutors' 'Room Salon Entertainment' Scandal Exposed
Korea University Professors Use Research Funds for Entertainment Bar Payments
Kang Junman: "Room Salon Partitions... Essential for Forming Cliques"
Experts: "Room Salon Spaces Have 'Solicitation' Significance"

An entertainment district. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Allegations have surfaced that current and former prosecutors received entertainment at room salons, and university professors have been criticized for moral laxity after charging tens of millions of won at entertainment bars using research fund cards. The commonality among them is that they all gathered in the space called room salons to enjoy entertainment.

As a result, there is growing interest in what kind of conversations took place while drinking expensive whiskey worth tens or hundreds of thousands of won. Experts point out that there may be 'solicitations' between those who invite others to room salons and those who accept and go to such places. Some also criticize that room salons are linked to the clique culture in our society.

Kim Bong-hyun (46, detained and indicted), a key figure in the Lime Asset Management scandal and former chairman of Star Mobility, claimed in a "statement from prison" that "in July last year, through former official A lawyer, I entertained three current prosecutors with about 10 million won worth of alcohol at a room salon in Cheongdam-dong." Immediately after Kim's revelation, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered the Ministry of Justice to directly launch an inspection into the prosecutors under suspicion for a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, according to the comprehensive audit of Korea University announced by the Ministry of Education last month, professors used corporate cards at entertainment bars including room salons. The audit revealed that 13 Korea University professors made payments totaling 66.93 million won on research fund and administrative cards at an entertainment bar disguised as a Western restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, 221 times from March 2016 to December 2019.

Among the 12 professors who received heavy disciplinary actions over this matter was Ambassador Jang Ha-sung to China. However, since Ambassador Jang had retired at the time of the disciplinary action, he was reportedly treated with 'no punishment' according to standard procedures.

Given this situation, general public interest is focused on the space called room salons. People question what exactly is done there that leads to spending tens of millions of won without hesitation and what kind of conversations take place.

A scene where whiskey is poured into a beer glass, creating the so-called 'poktanju' (bomb shot). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, in March 2011, Kang Jun-man, a professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at Jeonbuk National University, criticized the secretive entertainments that have continued from the era of liberation-era courtesans to room salons in his book "Room Salon Republic."

In his book, Professor Kang pointed out that the room salon that appeared in the late Jang Ja-yeon's 2009 case and a construction businessman who revealed that prosecutors had been their 'money source' for 25 years also chose room salons as their main venue, arguing that the history of room salons parallels the political, economic, and cultural development of our society.

Professor Kang criticized, "Room salon partitions are an essential element for creating cliques, and clique culture is the core to understanding Korean society."

Citizens' opinions are no different. Kim, a company employee in his 30s, criticized, "In movies or dramas, people gather in room salons to make some kind of solicitation, and I think it's the same in reality." He added, "(Above all) everyone is struggling to make a living due to COVID-19, but high-ranking public officials and wealthy people are spending money like that."

Lee, a university student in her 20s, pointed out the tuition issue related to the recent room salon controversy. She said, "Regarding the Korea University professors' issue, students have many complaints about tuition during the COVID-19 era," and added, "If that money had not been spent and was kept as is, wouldn't it have been possible to wisely resolve issues like tuition refunds for students?" She then questioned, "Is spending tens of millions of won at a room salon what an intellectual should do?"

Amid various criticisms surrounding room salon gatherings, an anonymous corporate official claimed, "Almost no man has never been to a room salon," and insisted, "It is not necessarily a place for solicitation." He explained, "Sometimes people just go to room salons to hang out together." He added, "The reason the bar tab is high is because whiskey prices include various taxes such as comprehensive income tax, VAT, card fees, etc., which can make the bill so high."

Experts point out that the room salon space can be seen as a place where a kind of 'solicitation' takes place.

Oh Yoon-sung, a professor of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, analyzed, "Room salons can be seen as spaces where the superiority complex of those soliciting and blind money gather," and said, "Those who invite to room salons are soliciting, and those who go there expect solicitation." He further explained, "People who entertain at room salons may think they are treating others in the best way," and "Those who receive it can interpret it that way as well."