Prostitutes in South Korea for the U . S . military Prostitutes working for members of the US military in South Korea have been known locally under a variety of terms . Western princess ( , , " Yanggongju " ) is a common name and literal meaning for the prostitutes in Kijichon , a U . S . military Camp Town ( , , " Kijichon " ) in South Korea . Western whore ( " Yanggalbo " ) and Yankee whore are also a common name . The women are also referred to as UN madams ( , " UN madam " ) . The official term was Comfort Women ( , , " Wianbu " ) , the same term used for military prostitutes in the Japanese Empire . Juicy girls are the common name of Filipinas prostitutes . According to United States Forces Korea ' s policy , " Hiring prostitutes is incompatible with our military core values . " History . The term " Western princess " has been commonly used in the press , such as Dong - a Ilbo for decades . On the other hand , it is also used as an insulting epithet . The official name for western princess ( " Yanggongju " ) was " Wianbu " ( , ) , i . e . " comfort woman " . The term " Wianbu " had been used by South Korean media to refer to prostitutes for the U . S . military until the early 1990s , and also used to refer to the so - called comfort women . In South Korea , most women who used to live around U . S . Army camps were prostitutes . In the Allied - occupied Korea , between the 1950s and 1980s , the total number of women amounted to over one million . Some women chose to become prostitutes . Other women were coerced into prostitution . Prostitutes for U . S . soldiers were esteemed to be at the bottom of the societal hierarchy by South Koreans , they were also lowest status within the hierarchy of prostitution . U . S . Military and Syngman Rhee rule . In September 1945 , U . S . forces occupied Korea , including comfort stations . The women in comfort stations were also taken over . In 1946 , the United States Army Military Government outlawed prostitution in South Korea . During the United States Army Military Government rule , Korean society treated prostitutes with humiliation that included stoning and cursing from children . However , by 1953 , the total number of prostitutes amounted to 350 , 000 . Between the 1950s and 1960s , 60 percent of South Korean prostitutes worked near U . S . military camps . During the Korean war , the South Korean Army controlled Wianbu units that performed sexual services for South Korean and U . S . soldiers . Throughout the Korean War , two separate types of comfort stations were operated . One was " U . N . Comfort Stations " ( , ) for U . N . soldiers , and the other was " Special Comfort Stations " ( , ) for South Korean soldier s . U . N . Comfort Stations were administered in collaboration with provincial governors , mayors and polices . The majority of women working in U . N . Comfort Stations were married and supporting their families . On the front lines , women were brought in by trucks without permission . Between 1951 and 1954 , the women units were referred to as " Special Comfort Units " ( , ) . Some South Korean corps referred to the women as " Class V supply " , because the South Korean Army had only up to Class IV supplies . " War History on the Home Front " ( , ) published by the South Korean Army in 1956 , refers to the existence of the South Korean military ' s comfort women units . General Chae Myung - shin , the South Korean Vietnam Expeditionary Forces Commanding Officer , also commented on the comfort women units during the Korean War in his memoir " Beyond the Deadline " ( , ) published in 1994 . Chae says , " The adopting of the military comfort women system strengthened the morale of officers and soldiers , and prevented sexually transmitted disease . There was a viewpoint that the army internalized unlicensed prostitutes who were spreading in society and protected their human rights . " Chae also remarks , " I don ' t want to expose the military to dishonor , but I record these as the undeniable facts . " Second Republic ( 1960 - 1961 ) . The Second Republic viewed prostitution as something of a necessity . In 1960 , lawmakers of the National Assembly urged the South Korean government to train a supply of prostitutes for Allied soldiers and prevent them from spending their dollars in Japan . Lee Sung - woo , the deputy home minister ( ) , gave a response to the national assembly that the government had made some improvements in the “ Supply of Prostitutes ” for American soldiers . Military Government rule . Park Chung - hee , who ruled South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s , and the father of incumbent president Park Geun - hye , encouraged the sex trade in order to generate revenue , particularly from the U . S . military . Park seized power in the May 16 coup , and immediately enforced two core laws . The first was the " Prostitution Prevention Law " , which excluded " camp towns " from the governmental crackdown on prostitution , and the Second was the " Tourism Promotion Law " , which designated camp towns as " Special Tourism Districts " . During the 1960s , camp town prostitution and related businesses generated nearly 25 percent of the South Korean GNP . In 1962 , 20 , 000 comfort women were registered , and the charge to the American soldiers was two dollars for a short time and five dollars for a long time . The prostitutes attended classes sponsored by their government in English and etiquette to help them sell more effectively . They were praised as " Dollar - earning Patriots " or " True Patriots " by the South Korean government . In the 1970s one junior high school teacher told his students that " The prostitutes who sell their bodies to the U . S . military are true patriots . Their dollars earned greatly contributes to our national economy . Don ' t talk behind their back that they are Western princesses or U . N . Madams . " In 1971 , the number of American soldiers was reduced by 18 , 000 , due to the Nixon Doctrine . On account of this , South Koreans were more afraid of the North Korean threat and its economic impact . Even so , camp town prostitution had already become an important component of South Korean livelihood . In 1987 , the American soldiers contributed 1 billion dollars to the South Korean economy which was 1 % of the South Korean GNP . Despite this , there were issues of venereal disease and racial conflict . U . S . military personnel advised the South Korean government that the camp towns were breeding grounds for sexually transmitted diseases , and places of racial discrimination . The venereal disease ratio per 1 , 000 American soldiers rapidly increased , from 389 ( in 1970 ) , 553 ( in 1971 ) , and 692 ( in 1972 ) . Camp town clubs were separated for blacks and whites , and women were classified in accordance with the soldiers ' race . The residents near Camp Humphreys discriminated between African Americans and White Americans . African American soldiers vented their anger against camp town residents . On July 9 , 1971 , 50 African American soldiers provoked a riot against racial discrimination , and destroyed some clubs near Camp Humphreys . In turn , residents hunted down African American soldiers with sickles . American Military Police and South Korean Police quelled the rioters . In August 1971 , the Secretary of Home Affairs Ministry ( ) , in cooperation with health authorities , gave orders to each police station to take precautions against sexually transmitted diseases , and instructing prostitutes about STDs . On December 22 , 1971 , South Korean President Park Chunghee enforced the Base Community Clean - Up Campaign . The government educated women not to discriminate racially , and banned clubs that posted segregationist signboards . The American military police and South Korean officials regularly raided prostitutes who were thought to be spreading disease , and would detain those thought to be ill , locking them up under guard in so - called monkey houses which had barred windows , and the women were forced to take medications that were reported to make them vomit . Women were certified to be without disease wore tags . In the 1970s , U . S . military officials and South Korean bureaucrats discussed the matter of preventing epidemics , and government efforts to register prostitutes and requiring them to carry medical certification . The U . S . military issued and required the prostitutes who worked at clubs to carry Venereal Disease Cards , and also published a Venereal Disease guide to inform American soldiers patronizing bars . There are reports that some women were killed by soldiers or committed suicide . The South Korean Government educated prostitutes who worked at the U . S . military camp in regard of preventing venereal disease . The South Korean bureaucrats educated that prostitution is an act of patriotism . The bureacrats informed the prostitutes of their contribution to the development and security of South Korea when they serve the U . S . soldiers with a healthy and clean body along with cooperative attitudes . The former Chief Secretary of the Blue House who directed the Base Community Clean - up Campaign , educated the prostitutes to learn the spirit of prostitutes who served the U . S . military during 1945 in Japan . The former presidential secretary for audit and inspection , Hong Jong - chul , attempted to make policies for the prostitutes in base communities such as building apartments for them . Post Military Government rule . During the early 1990s , the prostitutes became a symbol of Korean Anti - American nationalism . In 1992 , there were about 18 , 000 registered and 9 , 000 unregistered Korean women around the U . S . military bases . In 1992 , Yun Geum - i , a prostitute in Dongducheon , was brutally killed by U . S . servicemen . Yun was found dead with a bottle stuffed into her vagina and an umbrella into her anus . In August 1993 , the U . S . government compensated the victim ' s family with about 72 , 000 dollars . But the murder of a prostitute did not itself spark a national debate about the prerogatives of the U . S . forces , on the other hand the gang rape of a twelve - year - old Okinawan school girl in 1995 by U . S . Marines elicited much public outrage and brought wider attention to military - related violence against women . Since the mid - 1990s , Russian , Uzbek , Kazakh and Filipina women have worked as prostitutes in U . S . military camp towns in South Korea . Reportedly many of them have been forced into prostitution . Since the 2000s , the majority of prostitutes have been Filipinas or Russian women , and South Koreans have become less numerous . Since the mid - 1990s , foreigners make up 80 - 85 percent of the women working at clubs near military bases . Between the mid - 1990s and the early 2000s nearly 5 , 000 women from Russia and the Philippines have been smuggled into Korea and forced into sexual slavery . On the other hand , South Korean prostitutes are still represented in large numbers . According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family , South Korean prostitutes numbered about 330 , 000 in 2002 . As the number was rising , the Ministry estimates that about 500 , 000 women work in the national sex industry . The Korean Feminist Association estimates the actual number may exceed one million . According to the estimates up to one - fifth of women between the ages of 15 and 29 have worked in the sex industry . South Korean government also admits sex trade accounts for as much as 4 percent of the annual Gross Domestic Product . In August 1999 , a Korean club owner in Tongduchon was accused of trafficking in women by bringing more than 1 , 000 Filipina and Russian women into Korea for U . S . military bases , but a South Korean judge overturned the warrant . In 2000 , five foreign women locked in a brothel died in a fire in Gunsan . In early 2002 , 12 women died in a similar fire , also locked in a Gunsan pub . In 2002 , Fox Television reported casing brothels where trafficked women were allegedly forced to prostitute themselves to American soldiers . U . S . soldiers testified that the club or bar owners buy the women at auctions , therefore the women must earn large sums of money to recover their passports and freedom . In May , U . S . lawmakers asked U . S . Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for an investigation that " If U . S . soldiers are patrolling or frequenting these establishments , the military is in effect helping to line the pockets of human traffickers , " . In June , the Pentagon pledged to investigate the trafficking allegations . In 2003 , the Seoul District Court ruled that three night club owners near Camp Casey must compensate all Filipina women who had been forced into prostitution . The club owners had taken their passports and had kept the women locked up . One Filipina who was in captivity kept a diary about her confinement , beating , abortion and starvation . Before the trial began , the International Organization for Migration studied the trafficking of foreign women and reported the result to its headquarters in Geneva . The Philippine Embassy also joined the proceedings , making it the first embassy to take steps on behalf of its nationals . In the same year , the South Korean government completely discontinued issuing visas to former Soviet Union women , so prostitution businesses moved to bring in more Filipinas instead . Human trafficker s also brought in former Soviet Union women through sham marriage s . In 2005 , Filipina and Russian women accounted for 90 percent of the prostitutes in U . S . military camp towns . In 2005 , Hwang Sook - hyang , a club owner in Tongducheon was sentenced to a 10 - month suspended sentence and 160 hours of community service on charges of illegal brothel - keeping . The following civil trial sentenced him to compensate 5 , 000 dollars to a Filipina who was forced to have sex with U . S . soldiers between February 8 and March 3 , 2004 . The Philipina was recruited by a South Korean company in the Philippines as a nightclub singer in 2004 , then she and several Filipinas were locked inside Hwang ' s club and forced to have sex with U . S . soldiers . The former " juicy bar " employees testified that soldiers usually paid 150 dollars to bring women from the bar to a hotel room for sex , the women received 40 dollars . Most juicy bars have a quota system linked to drink purchases . Women who do not sell enough juice , are forced into prostitution by their managers . In 2004 , the Defense Department proposed anti - prostitution . A Camp Foster U . S . serviceman told a Stars and Stripes reporter that prostitution was illegal in the United States , however , in Korea , Thailand and Australia they were pretty open . By 2009 , the Philippine Embassy in South Korea had established a “ Watch List ” of bars where Filipinas were forced into prostitution and were considering sharing it with the U . S . military in hopes that U . S . commanders would put such establishments near bases off - limits to their troops . As of 2009 , some 3 , 000 to 4 , 000 women working as prostitutes came annually from Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines , accounting for 90 percent of the prostitutes . Despite prostitution being illegal in South Korea , camp towns were still practically exempted from crackdown s . In 2010 , the United States Department of State , reported the predicament of women who worked at bars near U . S . military bases as one of ongoing human trafficking concerns in South Korea . The Philippine government stopped approving contracts that promoters used to bring Filipinas to South Korea to work near U . S . military bases . In 2011 , the Eighth Army founded " Prevention of Sexual Assault Task Force " , the task force assessed and reported the climate in South Korea regarding sexual assault among U . S . soldiers . The report also described sexual assault which arose between a low - ranking female soldier who recently arrived on the Korean peninsula and an older male officer . According to Brigadier General David Conboy , the task force was not being formed in response to a single incident , but as a broader effort to study the unit ’ s sexual assault prevention and response measures . However , the report has yet to be approved . In 2012 , a United States Forces Korea public service announcement clarified “ Right now , young women are being lured to Korea thinking they will become singers and dancers , ” and “ Instead , they will be sexually exploited in order to support their families . ” The United States Forces Korea posted a video on YouTube , clarifying that “ buying overpriced drinks in a juicy bar supports the human trafficking industry , a form of modern - day slavery . ” However , U . S . commanders continue to allow American soldiers to patronize the bars as long as they have not been caught directly engaging in prostitution or human trafficking . Women and offspring . The children born to American soldiers and Korean prostitutes were often abandoned when soldiers returned to the U . S . By the 1970s , tens of thousands of mixed - race children had been born . Their offspring are called " bastards of the western princesses " ( " Yanggongju - ssaekki " ) , darkies , or niggers ( " Kkamdungi " ) . It was difficult for South Korean prostitutes around the U . S . military bases to escape from being stigmatized by their society , thus their only hope was emigration to the United States to marry an American soldier . Trafficked Filipina women also had the same dream . Some American soldiers paid off the women ’ s debt to their owners to free them in order to marry them . However , most U . S . soldiers are ignorant of the trafficking . Some soldiers have helped Filipinas escape from clubs . In 2009 , juicy bar owners near Camp Casey who had political muscle , demanded that U . S . military officials do something to prevent G . I . s from wooing away their bar girls with promises of marriage . In June 2010 , U . S . forces started a program to search for soldiers who had left and abandoned a wife or children . " Haunting the Korean Diaspora : Shame , Secrecy , and the Forgotten War " , a research of prostitutes by Grace M . Cho who was the daughter of a G . I . and a Korean woman , was awarded 2010 ' s best book on Asia and Asian America , by the American Sociological Association . A former South Korean prostitute said to the New York Times that they have been the biggest sacrifice of the South Korea - United States alliance . The women also see themselves as war victims . They are seeking compensation and apologies . Because of this tainted history , the primary image that most Koreans had of Korean women who had copulated with white men was mainly negative . Besides , the first international marriage s were mostly between U . S . soldiers and Korean women who worked in U . S . military bases or who were camp prostitutes . By 2010 , more than 100 , 000 Korean women had married U . S . soldiers and moved to the United States . Therefore , Korean women in interracial marriages have also been viewed as prostitutes . Marriages between Koreans and non - Koreans carry a serious stigma in South Korean society . A woman who is Joongang Ilbo general manager ' s junior , married to a Spanish man said that almost 100 percent of middle - aged South Korean men look her up and down when she walks hand in hand with her husband . " The Evil Night " ( 1952 ) and " A Flower in Hell " ( 1958 ) by Shin Sang - ok depict prostitutes . " Silver Stallion " ( 1991 ) by Chang Kil - su depicts one prostitute symbolizing the raped nation of Korea . " Spring in My Hometown " ( 1998 ) by Lee Kwang - mo depicts one prostitute waiting for her American lover who never returns . " Address Unknown " by Kim Ki - duk depicts the lover of a prostitute who never returns to Korea . The play " Seven Neighborhoods Like Warm Sisters " depicts prostitutes living near Camp Humphreys . Song Byung - soo depicts prostitutes in " Shorty Kim " ( 1957 ) . " A Stray Bullet " by Yu Hyun - mok depicts one woman who becomes a prostitute to rescue her family . Lee Moon - yul is depicted in " What Crashes , Has Wings " ( 1988 ) . " Camp Arirang " is a 1995 documentary that claims one million females had been involved in prostitution up until 1995 .