Prostitution Shifts to Online Platforms... 18% of 50,000 Adult Site Ads Link to SNS

Prostitution Market Moves Online: From Parlors to Platforms, SNS, and Messengers

"Key Response Is Identifying Connections and Preventing Their Spread, Not Just Focusing on 'Location'

...Revisions to the Prostitution Punishment Act Needed"

There are growing calls for existing prostitution response policies to evolve, as the sex trade has rapidly shifted from traditional red-light districts and brothel-centered markets to online platforms, social networking services (SNS), and messenger apps—now increasingly coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic technologies.

Sex trade office. The Asia Business Daily DB

On September 18, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korea Women’s Human Rights Institute held a policy forum at 10:00 a.m. at the Korea Women’s Human Rights Institute in Jung-gu, Seoul, under the theme “The Changing Landscape of Prostitution and the Next Policy Tasks.”

During the forum, panelists reviewed the achievements and limitations of policies implemented since the 2004 enactment of the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution and the Prevention of Prostitution Act. Discussions focused on new response strategies tailored to changes in the environment, such as the spread of prostitution via online channels.

The first presentation was given by Dahye Jang, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice Policy, who spoke on “Changes in the Landscape and Effectiveness of Prostitution Response Policies Since 2004.”

Jang assessed that the enactment of the 2004 Act on the Punishment of Prostitution and the Prevention of Prostitution Act marked a turning point for prostitution policy. She particularly pointed to the significant change in legal terminology from “acts of prostitution” to “prostitution,” noting that while the former focused on the seller’s actions, the new term broadened the concept to include purchasers. Through this, she explained, the scope of control and management—which had previously been limited to those engaging in prostitution—shifted toward broader goals, including the prevention of prostitution and human trafficking and the protection of human rights from sexual exploitation within society overall.

However, as the prostitution market itself has recently undergone major changes, she highlighted the limits of current laws and systems. With the environment shifting from location-based businesses, such as brothels or red-light districts, to forms of connection forged through online channels, she emphasized that support for victims also needs to move beyond approaches premised on specific types or physical spaces.

The next presentation, delivered by Bonggyu Song, Professor at Hansei University, offered numerical evidence of these concrete changes in his talk “Response Measures for the Transformation of Online-Mediated Prostitution.”

According to the results from Professor Song’s ongoing platform analysis, among 49,462 advertisements posted on 77 adult websites, 9,043 ads, or 18.3%, used external SNS or messenger services. Professor Song emphasized, “In the online environment, it is essential to examine the structure of harm—how it is combined, repeated, and spread—rather than focusing solely on the act of prostitution itself,” adding, “Prostitution has not disappeared; rather, the ways in which connections are made have changed.”

On this basis, Professor Song proposed that analytical frameworks for prostitution response should expand from the existing model of “prostitution × organized crime” to encompass “prostitution × organized crime × online × AI.” He argued that rather than limiting inquiry to the question of “where and how many brothels exist,” it is now crucial to explore “who is connected to whom online” and “how data and algorithms collect, classify, generate, recommend, and spread information and connections.”

Professor Bonggyu Song of Hansei University Presentation. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

There were also calls for legislative amendments to improve the support system for victims of prostitution. Hayoung Lee, co-representative of the National Solidarity for the Solution of Prostitution Issues, stated, “The top priority in the field of victim support is the complete revision of the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution.”

She noted that although counseling centers, support facilities, and self-support centers have been established following the enactment of the Prevention of Prostitution Act, many victims continue to face economic and social challenges after escaping prostitution.

Lee referenced the revised bill for the complete amendment of the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution, spearheaded by Assemblywoman Jinsuk Jun of the Democratic Party on September 17. The revision proposes replacing the term “prostitution” with “purchasing another person’s sexual services”—defined as “sex buying”—and stipulates that only those who buy sex and those who facilitate or advertise to maintain or expand the sex industry would be held accountable, rather than penalizing those who sell sex.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced it would review policy measures to keep pace with the shifting landscape of prostitution based on the opinions shared at this forum.

Minister Minkyoung Won of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said, “It has now been over 20 years since the enactment of the 2004 Anti-Prostitution Special Act; it is time to reassess our policies and seek new response directions that reflect the rapidly evolving online environment. We will work closely with relevant ministries, frontline organizations, experts, and global international bodies to effectively combat changing forms of prostitution and create a society safe from sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.