Ineffective Decoupling in South Korea's Reformed Anti-Prostitution Laws

Although the commercial sex industry is strictly prohibited in South Korea, sex work is estimated to generate anywhere from 1.5 to 5% of the nation's GDP. In 2004, prompted by feminist academicians, anti-prostitution laws dating from the 1960's were reformed to prevent the penalization of sex workers and promote their rehabilitation. Since then, collective protests by the sex workers against the reformed laws have raised questions about the impact and effectiveness of good intentions and seemingly just policies.

This study sought to describe the mandated collaboration between the police and non-profit - the two institutions responsible for implementing the anti-prositution laws by closing red light districts and transitioning sex workers to other professions, respectively. Interviews of 12 individuals representing 3 police precincts and 9 non-profit organizations and coded analysis of the translated transcripts identified institutional barriers to the police and non-profit's effective collaboration.

In the face of policy expectations to significantly reduce the sex industry and superficial augmentation of resources to match these expectations, the police and non-profit both decoupled their day-to-day activities from mandated ones in accordance to the Theory of Decoupling. After a decade of frustration, burn out, resignation, and the expansion of sex work from public red light districts to private residences, the study recommends a reconsideration of the reformed anti-prostitution laws, for them to be feminist for women of all professions.