An Average of 1,700 Cases Annually
Likely More Considering Concealment
Most Result in Fines or Suspended Sentences
Recently, a current police officer was caught engaging in prostitution, sparking controversy, while most suspects charged with prostitution offenses receive suspended sentences or fines, leading to criticism that the level of punishment is too lenient. Over the past five years, an average of 1,700 prostitution cases have been detected annually, raising questions about the effectiveness of the current law.
According to crime statistics from the National Police Agency on the 14th, the number of violations of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Prostitution (Prostitution Punishment Act) was recorded as 2,628 cases in 2018, 1,712 in 2019, 1,027 in 2020, 1,321 in 2021, and 1,796 in 2022. Considering the underground nature of prostitution, the actual number of violations is estimated to be higher.
Prostitution arrests continue unabated. On the 4th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul booked Sergeant A, in his early 40s and affiliated with the Gangbuk Police Station, on charges of violating the Prostitution Punishment Act. Sergeant A is accused of engaging in prostitution with a woman he met through a smartphone application (app) in a building in Gangnam, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 29th of last month. Sergeant A was caught by a crackdown team at the scene, taken in for questioning voluntarily, and the Gangbuk Police Station placed him on standby suspension.
In January, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former Jeju Provincial Assembly member Kang Kyung-heum without detention on prostitution charges. During an investigation in April last year into a local entertainment establishment in Jeju suspected of facilitating prostitution, the police confirmed several bank transfers made by former Assembly member Kang around 2022 and subsequently booked him.
Under current law, individuals who engage in prostitution face imprisonment of up to one year, fines of up to 3 million won, detention, or administrative fines. According to the 2022 judicial yearbook, there were 1,301 rulings related to the Prostitution Punishment Act. The verdicts included 724 suspended sentences (55.6%), 328 fines (25.2%), 182 prison sentences (13.9%), 39 other rulings (2.9%), and 14 acquittals (1%), with actual imprisonment being very rare. This inevitably leads to criticism that punishments are too lenient.
A sitting judge who was summarily prosecuted for prostitution during a business trip to Seoul also drew public outrage after receiving a fine. In January, Judge Ham Hyun-ji of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 issued a summary order imposing a fine of 3 million won on Judge Lee (43) of the Ulsan District Court, who was charged with violating the Prostitution Punishment Act. Summary prosecution is a procedure where the prosecution requests the court to impose a fine or administrative penalty instead of a formal trial. Judge Lee was on a business trip for judicial training and was found to have engaged in prostitution while returning home after the training.
Oh Yoon-sung, a professor of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, pointed out, “The number of prostitution cases detected is just the tip of the iceberg, and in reality, it is difficult to even catch offenders,” adding, “Those caught in the law tend to think they were just unlucky.”
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