The recently noted exodus of prostitutes from South Korea, following the domestic crackdown on the sex industry, is not without a dark side. Reports from CSR Asia and the Asian Sex Gazette remind us that prostitutes (even ones who voluntarily enter the trade) are easily exploited.

In February, it emerged that an organization sold 38 women to brothels in Australia, New Zealand and Canada in conditions of virtual bonded labor. Police say the organization would advance the women millions of won they had to pay back at 60 percent interest and forced them to pay medical expenses for diseases contracted on the job. The women had to sign up to a "code of conduct" that fined them US$300 for arguing with customers and US$50 for showing up a minute late to work.