Korean Sex Establishments

Korean Sex Establishments–part 4–Lovetels

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written by gkim

Korean Love Motels or Hotels, also known as Lovetels, were first built in the 80’s in order to cash in on the sex tourism when the Olympics were held in Seoul. The difference between a common motel/hotel from a lovetel is that a lovetel usually charges by the hour and is promoted exclusively as a place for sex. Also, the majority of lovetels have become housing for underage runaways who sell their bodies to survive on the streets. Lovetels thrive and profit on quick sexual encounters, one night stands, and adultery.

These lovetels may appear seemingly harmless. After all, what’s the big deal with two consenting adults who want to have sex with each other, right? Wrong. They are in fact, condoning fornication outside of marriage, encouraging sexual encounters between strangers, perpetuating prostitution, and turning a blind eye on pedophilia. The owners of these lovetels establish places where both adults and children can be protected while engaging in sexual affairs. How so? They operate in buildings with almost no windows for anyone to look in or look out. If rape or sexual molestation would occur, there would be no way for anyone outside to hear a cry for help. They usually operate as a cash business so that no transactions can be traced. Due to the nature of the business, they do not report underage runaways who end up living at the hotel and sell their bodies. They also have a parking system where customers’ license plates are covered in order to shield identities in the cases of marital infidelity. Lastly, these establishments make it very expensive to stay over night as they want people in and out. Lovetels provide a safe haven for pedophiles, cheaters, pimps, traffickers, and rapists.

Lord, transform these lovetels into homes for families in poverty. Transform them into churches where your people thrive and worship in!

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Korean Sex Establishments–part 3–Doemi Services

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singing in karaoke

written by gkim

Doemi services, otherwise known as karaoke bar call girl services, are growing at an alarming rate. They are a rapidly growing Korean phenomenon in the sex industry. Overall, the Koreatowns around the USA are said to have a cumulative total of about 5000 to 7000 doemis waiting on standby to be called to a karaoke bar (noraebang) per night on the weekends. This is how a doemi business operates: A group of people will go into a karaoke bar to rent a room by the hour (which is a pretty common form of social entertainment in the Korean community). Then they will either call the doemis directly, or they’ll ask the karaoke bar to call a doemi service on their behalf. The doemis will usually be waiting around in vans or streets outside the karaoke bar so that they are within walking distance if they are called. Once they are called, they enter the room they were called to inside the karaoke bar, and they basically begin to set a party vibe. They will sing, drink, and dance with the group at a rate anywhere from $60-$100 an hour. Many of these doemis accept sexual requests if they develop a bond with someone they meet, or if someone offers them a certain amount of money. This trend, which slowly trickled over from South Korea into the U.S. starting about 6 years ago, has grown out of control.

The doemi business has expanded so much that it has become quite difficult to differentiate between the doemi girls and regular club and bar hopping party-goers in the Koreatown night life. It seems like a new, popular and fun fad that Korean culture is going through, however it is extremely harmful for many reasons. Doemis are victimized whether they are aware of it or not. They are God’s precious daughters.

Here are some basic facts everyone–customers and doemis–should be aware of:

  • This doemi business is becoming a gateway into a more hardcore sector of the sex industry. Many doemis never imagine they will eventually succumb to a darker side of the industry, but a lot of them do.
  • It’s addictive because the money is quickly earned, and as time passes, the girl may be coerced or succumb to saying yes to just about anything.
  • There are health implications associated with consuming large amounts of alcohol in one night while hopping from one group to another while working with different parties. Sometimes drugs can be available and the girls are exposed to and pressured into trying it with their groups.
  • The girls are exposed and vulnerable to being fondled and harassed verbally and physically because they are being paid.
  • It is demeaning and objectifying for girls to dress in provocative gear and get paid to entertain a group of people to be seductive, sexual, and ogled, although actual sex may not occur in the karaoke room.
  • Paying for girls to provide entertainment is not the same as paying for a violinist to play the violin for you. The doemi services are pure objectification, exploitation, and violation of women as human beings.
  • Doemi girls make easy money, therefore many end up feeling shameful and are stigmatized by society. The ones I have spoken to who have gotten out of the industry have expressed immense regret.
  • Supporting the doemi business can have a detrimental effect on families. Fathers and husbands who utilize doemi services may one day be lured into cheating or come to find that their own daughters are working in this industry.
  • The doemi business is harmful to Korean culture and society as it is multiplying. People view Korean girls to be sexual objects, materialistic, and loose.
  • Doemi girls are victimzed, even though they have usually made the choice to be in this industry and many are unaware of what is happening to them as human beings. Their souls and bodies are being disrespected and abused. They become spiritually and mentally trapped.
  • The Korean doemi business is affecting other ethnic groups, as they advertise on well-known sites. Many Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Latino girls can be found working as doemi girls as well, not to mention that many non-Korean men have started going to Koreatown to gain access to the doemi services.
  • Customers who call doemi services view these services as fun entertainment. This is not the case. Because of the high influx of men paying for girls to sit with them, the doemi services are growing rapidly. The Korean community must come together to stop the demand.
  • Many people say that it is impossible and a waste of time to try and stop this business from proliferating. These same people say that it is pointless for churches and pastors to fight the sex industry, that sex work is the oldest profession in the world–and that it is never going to end. These people need to study history and read some books on William Wilberforce.
  • Men and women, customers, owners, and workers who are involved in the doemi business–are usually victimized by greed and abuse–especially mentally and emotionally.
  • The doemi business is a part of the sex industry, even though their work does not always lead to sex. They are selling the idea of sex and being sexual for money with strangers.
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    Photo Credit: huffingtonpost.com

If you are a worker wanting to get out of this industry, a person contemplating on working in a noraebang as a doemi, an ex-worker trying to avoid stigmatization and attacks or dealing with guilt and shame, a trafficker selling girls into the industry, a doemi service owner, a taxi driver driving the girls and johns to and fro, an ex-worker who wants to help others get out, or anyone who is associated with or a supporter of the industry, please contact us. There are many people who would like to help you, pray with you, and love you in the name of Christ.

Don’t get into the doemi business. More importantly–Don’t support the doemis business as a customer. Help spread awareness. Help protect these women from being victimized. Pray that the young girls, who are getting into the industry so easily and without concern, may be transformed through the Gospel and know that they are so valuable and beyond previous. Pray that the girls, who have been horribly abused and believe this is their only option, will be given justice and a fresh new future. May they hear God’s voice calling out to them. Lord, break our hearts as your heart breaks, so that we may fight for your freedom and justice to reign over our precious community. Give the Korean community better judgement and distinct, clear discernment between what is acceptable by you and what is not. Oh come and help us Lord!

Korean Sex Establishments–part 2–Asian / Korean Massage Parlors

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written by gkim

blog#2 massage signThis is just one of many massage parlor signs littered across the Korean communities in the world. So many corners with so many different signs that represent the rampantly growing sex industry… This one clearly reads “massage” in Korean however, I walk inside one of these places to ask for their pricing, and I’m turned away. Their answer is simply: “You’re in the wrong place.” No explanation, no apologies, no excuses.

If I were a male walking into this establishment, I would have been greeted by the hosts at the front desk. Payment would’ve been required there ranging anywhere from $50 -$200 depending on the city. Next, I would have gone downstairs into a locker room where I would store my belongings and get into a robe they provided for me. I would head over to a sauna full of men while I wait for my turn. A female madam would appear in the sauna full of naked men, and beckon me. Then, I would be escorted into my own room where a naked “masseuse” would be waiting. Once the door shuts behind me, this young girl would disrobe me and begin to bathe me in the shower that is inside the room. Midway through this, she would perform oral sex. Next, she would guide me to a massage table where I would lie face down as she situates herself onto my backside and does devious acts that most people would never think of performing. She’ll finally lead me to the bed where a condom is put on and sex would occur. In some places, the condom usage depends on what the client desires, and the workers must comply. There are many places that offer more than one woman per client as well. Who would I possibly run into at these joints? Mostly married men consisting of CEOs of huge corporations, corporate employees, bored singles, some tourists, and a number of deportees. Yes, this is very explicit. But we must tell be fully aware and spread the truth about what is happening. If not, more girls will be sold into the dangerous sex industry, and people will be oblivious to the reality of what is going on behind closed doors.

Are these girls enjoying what they do? Well, let’s get the perspective of ex-workers who have gotten out of the sex industry. Not a single one says they have enjoyed it. Also, the majority of these girls are forced, trafficked, and sold into this type of work and there are many who end up viewing it as their only choice in life. Many men are fooled by their smiles or stories, and they don’t see these women as victims. Many of these women are enslaved and will not expose their truths to total strangers. They have no voice, no one to turn to, and they trust very few people to reveal their stories to. These types of massage parlors follow Koreans into the States and all over the world. In America, San Francisco is the mecca for Asian/ Korean Massage Parlors, but Koreatown, Los Angeles and Koreatown, New York have multiple massage parlors where “happy” endings are serviced at an extra cost. A lot of these registered businesses have salient characteristics that are only recognized by observant Koreans who are privy to this underground sex industry. Others may simply see a sign for a massage parlor and bypass it without a second thought.

Working with government legislators to shut them down legally is futile when in some areas cops are constantly being paid off to stay hushed, law enforcement are oblivious, or they refuse to acknowledge the enormity of what is happening. There are just way too many supporters, way too many people who want to satisfy their curiosities, and way too many worker bees who need some type of release. There are even some prostitutes who fight against the anti-prostitution law. These women believe that because the sex is occurring between two consenting individuals in exchange for money, it is no one else’s business nor it is harming anyone. However, it is not their fault that they do not know they are harming themselves for the long haul and that society is being harmed as a result. They are so broken and lost without Christ that they believe this is their only option.

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Photo Credit: ctvnews.ca/

It is up to the Church to spread the Gospel and inform everyone properly of what is light and what is dark. It is up to followers of Christ to serve the community by heeding God’s commands. Christians need to take leadership roles of cities and countries, and we need to rise up and set a good example. We must do God’s work here on Earth because that is our purpose–to serve Him.

If you are a worker wanting to get out of this industry, a person contemplating on working in a massage parlor, an ex-worker trying to avoid stigmatization and attacks or dealing with guilt and shame, a trafficker selling girls into the industry, a massage parlor owner, a taxi driver driving the girls and johns to and fro, or anyone who is associated or a supporter of the industry, please contact us. There are many people who would like to help you, pray with you, and love you in the name of Christ.