Government conducts joint inspection of human rights violations in foreign-only entertainment establishments

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is said to be conducting joint inspections with related ministries and local governments for three months until December to prevent human rights violations, such as human trafficking, of workers in foreign-only entertainment establishments. Foreigner-only entertainment establishments are tourist convenience facilities that provide alcohol or food only to foreigners and allow them to listen to songs and dances or dance. As of December last year, about 310 establishments were in operation.

This inspection is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the National Police Agency, and local governments, and is accompanied by field experts and interpreters from prostitution victim support organizations.

The inspection team will check whether foreign workers who entered the country on a hotel/entertainment visa (E-6-2) and work at entertainment restaurants exclusively for foreigners have been victims of human trafficking, forced or arranged prostitution, or unfair treatment or coercion such as violence, threats, or wage extortion. We are planning to intensively check whether or not it was there.

In addition, if foreign workers need help, we plan to provide detailed information on damage support organizations and how to request rescue, and also ask business owners to specifically prevent foreign workers from being victims of sexual crimes and comply with labor-related laws.

In particular, we plan to reflect the recommendations of this year's U.S. State Department report on human trafficking and actively utilize victim identification indicators, such as human trafficking, to check whether or not there are victims of human trafficking. To report damage such as human trafficking, call 112 (police), and for consultation, call 1600-8248 (Central Agency for the Protection of Rights of Victims of Human Trafficking, etc.).

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and related ministries plan to take corrective or improvement measures in accordance with the relevant laws for businesses that are found to have violated the law as a result of this year's inspection.

Choi Seong-ji, Director of the Rights Promotion Bureau of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, said, “Going forward, we plan to further strengthen activities to prevent human trafficking, including sexual and labor exploitation of foreigners, through continuous and organic inspections with related organizations.”

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