South Korea is in the midst of a war; a war on prostitution. Many countries have tried - and failed - to win such a battle against the world's oldest profession.
But here, there are signs that the latest crackdown might actually be working. Since the government enacted the Special Law on Sex Trade last month, hundreds of prostitutes, pimps and even customers have been detained.
Police routinely raid brothels, massage parlours and other places where sex is sold. The main difference this time is that customers are being punished. In one case, police confiscated a list of clients from a brothel and went after them, even though their liaisons occurred before the law was enacted.
In several counties in southern Gyungsang province, as many as 1,500 customers are being investigated after police secured client lists from massage parlours. Officers said that many of the men were married, in their 30s to 50s, and fell prey to aggressive marketing by the parlours.
The crackdown is so thorough that several lawmakers have even said that the law should be toned down. One asked how unmarried men were supposed to fulfil their sexual desires if all the red light districts disappeared overnight. Another said that only under-age prostitution and human-trafficking-related incidents should be punished.
In fact, the crackdown has virtually killed the sex industry in South Korea. Famous red light areas in Seoul, and elsewhere, are practically deserted, as punters stay away.