Korean Men Flock to This Country... Even Local Rents Are Rising

Posts with 31 Million Views
"Rising Demand Drives Up Monthly Rent"

It has been revealed that local rent prices in Laos have risen due to frequent visits to sex workers by Korean men who stay in the country for extended periods. Lee Hyunsook, head of the child and youth sexual violence counseling center Tacteen Naeil, who disclosed these facts, reported that there are even posts with 31 million views in group chat rooms where reviews and information about prostitution in Laos are shared.

It has been revealed that frequent visits to sex workers by Korean men during long-term stays have caused local rent prices in Laos to rise. Photo by Getty Images

On November 6, Lee Hyunsook appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" and stated, "There were a significant number of cases where Korean men shared their experiences with prostitution in Laos online and discussed going together to engage in prostitution. Among these, there was even a chat room that had accumulated 31 million views."

According to Lee, after the organization monitored 47 channels across six platforms, including Telegram and YouTube, they found chat rooms with as many as 700 to 1,000 participants. New posts were uploaded daily, making it difficult to keep track of everything.

A person suspected of operating a prostitution establishment in Laos sharing photos of women in an open chat room. Screenshot from CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" YouTube channel.

Lee explained, "Participants ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s. When someone in their 30s joined, others would comment that they seemed very young, which leads us to suspect that most participants are in their 40s to 60s. When a person suspected of being a brothel operator shared photos of women, participants responded with comments like 'She's cute' or 'I'd like to meet her.'"

Regarding the expression 'ㅊㅊ' found in the chat rooms, Lee said, "It stands for 'cheolchang,' which refers to a place with bars or grilles, likely for security. It gives the impression that young women are being confined there, and a lot of prostitution is taking place in such establishments."

Lee also explained that, similar to the once-popular trend of spending a month in Southeast Asia, a new trend of 'spending a month in Laos' specifically for prostitution has emerged, leading to rising rent prices. She stated, "If people have money, they rent very nice places. The cost of living in Laos is quite low, and the food is decent, so it seems to be considered a good place to stay on a limited budget. As demand increases, rent prices inevitably go up. There are even people who say they plan to retire in Laos and live there while engaging in prostitution."