Most red-light districts in South Korea are actually pink-light districts and, despite the fact that both buying and selling sexual services is illegal, they remain hugely popular with locals and tourists alike. One of the main reasons this red-light area endures in the capital is because of the sex tourist.
With a history, largely of American serviceman, most if not all of the women in this area speak English. The street is lined with grubby looking windows as well as regular shops and businesses behind which women scour the street for potential customers. If you make eye contact, she will be likely to pop out and greet you.
The standard service is a quick full service. Image via YouTube. Most rooms are well-kept and clean and usually offer washing if not showering facilities for after. Though any demolition or construction work is still to be seen on a large scale, the combination of building work and the changes in the laws has led to a wind down in the sex trade in Cheongnyangni. Image via Flickr. Though there are a couple of hundred brothels here, most do not provide any kind of service to non-nationals.
Birthplace of the modern sex industry, Busan is the location of the first brothels established by the invading Japanese troops in The most infamous red light district of Busan is the Wanwol-dong. The Haeundae Beach area of Busan is pretty lively in general and offers more than just the glass house experience. Due to the proximity of the neighbouring US military bases a whole host of establishments offer sex for sale including barbers, internet cafes and tearooms.
There are your traditional saunas, love hotels and massage parlours all vying for trade. One of the most notoriously famous red-light districts of South Korea, Jagmaldang again rose to prominence during Japanese occupation. Operating brothels to service the troops, the Japanese military lined the streets with gravel so that potential escapees could be heard and re-captured. Jagmaldang is one of the big three red-light districts in South Korea and, although diminished in size from the pre glory days, it still has a couple of hundred prostitutes servicing the masses.
