Although exact numbers are hard to find, the International Labor Organization reports that around 1 in every 4 trafficked humans an estimated 5 million people are victims of forced sexual exploitation.
No continent has been a leader in this growing modern slave trade more than Asia. With the exception of Eritrea, Brazil, and South Sudan, 7 of the top 11 countries with the highest number of victims in sex trafficking are all in Asia.
Many of these Asian countries you may already know due to international news regarding this issue: Thailand, India, Bangladesh, China, etc. However, most people are unaware of one country that has been laggard in cracking down on sex trafficking.
South Korea, like other Asian countries, is a rising economic power that has also seen a steady rise in sex trafficking. Non-Koreans have most likely never heard of such an issue in South Korea due to many factors. Most of the organizations and gangs that run the sex trafficking rings operate within the country. ECPAT International has reported that South Korea is known as a source country for child sex tourists in the global criminal underground.
Simply put, sex trafficking in South Korea can credit its unhindered rise due to the fact that the majority of victims are the most vulnerable, voiceless and exploitable members of society. Even I, a proud Korean-American born into an immigrant family whose parents still live in South Korea, was completely unaware of this issue.
