South Korean Human Rights Monitor

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“Looking for Pretty Women: Minimum 1 Million Won per Day”

Ji-Su Park July 13, 2012

A model agency in Gangnam, Seoul sent out mass emails looking for 20 to 25-year-old “pretty” women who are at least 170cm tall and have “large breasts” on the 11th. According to this email, which was sent through a popular job search website, the agency is looking for female members of a social club, through which they can hang out with “wealthy men” and earn at least one million Korean won (approx. $1,000) per day. The email even explicitly stated: “Only pretty women are wanted. We don’t accept ugly women.”

Numerous netizens and women’s rights activists argue that the agency is in fact advertising “sponsorship.” “Sponsorship” is a relationship between a man and a woman under a financial condition, in which a wealthy man “sponsors” a woman for spending time with him. Authorities of the Korean Women’s Association United claimed on the 12th that the email is indeed a violence against women since it is an advertisement that might commercialize sex and the female body. Many female netizens also have been expressing their anger and discomfort online.

However, the police explained that although there are some rumors that this controversial agency seems to promote prostitution, there is no clear evidence to begin an investigation.

 

Sources:

http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=2012071201070927274001

http://news.heraldm.com/view.php?ud=20120712000538&md=20120712112830_C

Picture:

http://nimg.nate.com/orgImg/hn/2012/01/13/00417427801_20120114.JPG

 

About Author

Ji-Su Park

Ji-Su Park has been an intern at the Korea Human Rights Foundation since May 2010. Her duties at the KHRF include human rights monitoring and researching on gender and development. She is studying Sociology and Political Science at Wellesley College. As a rising senior, Ji-Su will be working on her honors thesis on multiculturalism in South Korea. At Wellesley, she is the editor-in-chief of GenerAsians magazine and is involved with Wellesley-in-Translation, which provides a free translation service for non-profit organizations. She is interested in social entrepreneurship, and is the current campus director of Styleta at Wellesley. View all posts by Ji-Su Park →

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