This year, sexually transmitted diseases have become a hot topic in Korean news.
In February, a male guest from the famous love variety show “I Am Solo” was exposed by his ex girlfriend for intentionally spreading an incurable sexually transmitted disease and concealing the fact that he continued to engage with more women on the love variety show, causing a public uproar.
The woman posted a medical test report on an online forum, stating that the TV star is engaged in the medical industry and cannot be unaware of her illness.
During their six-month relationship, he concealed the fact of contracting a sexually transmitted disease and ultimately caused the woman to develop HSV-2 “herpes simplex virus type 2”.
After the woman told the man about the test results, she was dumped by him. The woman had originally planned to resolve this matter privately, but a few years later, the man appeared brightly in the dating variety show, causing the woman to be hurt again and chose to be exposed.
Last year, a similar incident occurred. Due to the crime of intentionally spreading sexually transmitted diseases, pharmacist internet celebrity Yo Yo KRT (real name Park Seong chung) with 200000 followers in South Korea has been sentenced to 8 months in prison and 2 years in probation by the court.
Park Seung chung appears to be a well dressed medical science blogger, but in reality, he uses his fame as a sleeping fan and disregards female fans’ demand to have sex without contraception, treating him as a tool for sexual intercourse.
The girl herself likes him a bit, so she hopes to develop this relationship into a true boyfriend and girlfriend, so she swallowed her anger.
However, after dating Park Chengzhong for a period of time, she discovered that she had “blisters” on her lower body, and upon investigation, she found out that it was HSV-2 transmitted through sexual intercourse.
The girl questioned Park Chengzhong, but he perfunctorily said, “Because it’s not a serious illness, I didn’t tell you.
But the fact is that once infected with HSV-2 virus, it cannot be eradicated, and there is a possibility of recurrence at any time, which may affect normal life in the future.
What’s even more terrifying is that after she posted, Park Seung chung’s legitimate girlfriend went to check her body and found out that she was also infected. Afterwards, a third woman infected with a sexually transmitted disease also exposed Park Seung chung. None of the three people knew that Park Chengzhong had a sexually transmitted disease before.
Two consecutive incidents of public figures spreading sexually transmitted diseases have raised concerns among young Korean people about sexually transmitted diseases.
Medical Observation reported that from 2014 to 2018, the incidence rate of six major sexually transmitted diseases in South Korea continued to rise regardless of age, and the number of infections among young people aged 20-30 years increased sharply.
The latest report in June 2023 shows that syphilis, once thought to be extinct in developed countries, has shown an abnormal growth trend in South Korea in recent years.
Syphilis was sexually transmitted and spread widely around the world in the 15th century. With the application of antibiotics, the influence of syphilis weakened in the 20th century.
However, the incidence rate of syphilis in South Korea in 2022 has increased by nearly 20% compared with 2021.
Individuals infected with the first stage of syphilis will develop a rash and disappear within about a month. After 3 months, enter the second stage, with rash on hands, feet, and even the whole body, accompanied by symptoms such as muscle soreness and headache, which will disappear after a period of time.
When you think you are safe, the virus that lurks in your body may erupt several years later, leading to blindness, paralysis, and even death in severe cases.
Pictures may cause discomfort.
After subdividing gender and age groups, it can be found that 71% of patients are male, with male patients aged 20-30 accounting for 67.5% of the total male population. Prior to this, the Japanese government also reported a similar abnormal increase in syphilis.
This has forced the Korean government to upgrade syphilis from the original Grade IV infectious disease to Grade III, which is under the same concern as malaria and AIDS.
That is to say, in the past, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only conducted regular spot checks on syphilis related medical data, but now all medical institutions need to report data regularly.
The plot of syphilis in Korean dramas
In addition to being sexually transmitted, syphilis not only makes it easier for women who have contracted it to conceive and have children, but also makes babies carriers at birth and may spread to more people. That is to say, if syphilis is not controlled, it will be a major event that affects several generations.
In fact, in addition to syphilis, statistics from the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the number of patients with representative sexually transmitted diseases and gonorrhea has also been rapidly increasing in recent years. In 2010, there were only 1816 cases, but in 2018, it increased to 2361 cases.
It’s really unexpected that these sexually transmitted disease crises, which have always been considered underdeveloped countries, will appear in South Korea in 2023.
At present, experts have not yet analyzed the exact reason, but most believe that the main reasons are that young people have more open private lives, dating software makes it easier for people to have contact with the opposite sex, and the development of the Korean pornography industry after the epidemic is “booming”.
“Glass House” in red-light district, South Korea
This is not the first time that South Korea’s sex industry has brought serious social problems. You may still remember that a few years ago, news on the Han River was detected to contain a large amount of Viagra, with the highest content in the river basin. It is also a region where South Korea’s sex industry or nightlife are relatively developed.
According to 2011 data, Japan’s per capita consumption of sex industries was $157, ranking second in the world. South Korea, on the other hand, ranks first in the world with a per capita consumption of $527, almost surpassing the second place by a fault.
According to data from the Korea Women’s Development Research Institute, the total revenue of the sex trading industry in South Korea reached 14 trillion won (approximately 75.364 billion yuan) in 2007, accounting for approximately 1.6% of the country’s GDP.
The pornography industry is not only a legacy issue in South Korea’s history, but also a direct result of the South Korean government.
The US military stationed in South Korea once gave birth to a prosperous sex industry in South Korea, where many women were sold to brothels to become US military comfort women. The sex industry targeting the US military was the main culprit behind the widespread spread of syphilis in early South Korea.
Afterwards, although the South Korean government advocated for prostitution to be illegal and openly prohibited sexual transactions for the sake of international image. However, like Japan, the Korean government ignores many underground prostitution organizations and connives at the existence of soft porn places such as “kissing houses” and “massage parlors”. Even in some cities, red-light district still exist.
The independent media “Korea Expo” once described in an article: “This is the dark and decaying weakness of Korean society. Soju is as cheap, as easy to get, and has become a common way for men to enjoy, just like an hour of buying spring
Young people use software to make appointments, middle-aged people visit brothels, and even have “Dionysus mothers” who specialize in serving elderly men.
The term “Dionysus Mother” refers to elderly women who appear to promote energy drinks but actually engage in prostitution. The vast majority of them are abandoned by their families, without pension or educational opportunities, and without good government protection, they can only survive in this way.
After the epidemic, many young women who have lost their income and are unable to find jobs can only work in this industry to support themselves and their families.
However, the overall image of Korean clients is just the opposite. According to the statistics of the Korean criminology Association, one out of five Korean men in their 20s spends money every week to buy sex. There are more clients in their 30s and 40s. Their income and education level are very high. Even elderly clients are mostly white-collar workers who have spare money.
It can be said that this is a country that constantly sacrifices women to create super large consumption. Such “Dionysus mothers” and other sex workers are almost difficult to obtain health protection and physical examinations, naturally making them very susceptible to contracting and spreading sexually transmitted diseases.
And even if men who engage in prostitution get sick, they will not tell their regular partners, leading to the further spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Men discuss their experience of buying sex on Korean forums
Last October, a girl discovered a swollen lump on her partner’s genitalia, but the man refused to admit that he was sick and continued to have sex with her. This girl has been dating her boyfriend for a year and a half and trusts him very much because she regularly takes birth control pills and they have not taken physical contraception.
The girl still felt curious and went online to investigate the cause, only to find out that it was one of the symptoms of syphilis. After she went to the hospital for examination, she found that she had been recruited. (Due to the long incubation period, she tested continuously for 7 weeks before confirming positive)
When she learned that she was ill, the girl couldn’t believe it because she had never had a relationship with anyone outside of her boyfriend.
After her questioning, she found out that her boyfriend had been whoring a few months before being diagnosed with syphilis, and then passed the virus on to her girlfriend. This girl therefore reminds more people to enhance their awareness and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
This is consistent with the expert’s advice. Experts believe that the lifestyle of young people in South Korea has undergone significant changes, with sexual culture becoming more open, but laws and education have not kept up. He believes that at present, South Korea should enact stricter laws to prevent individuals who knowingly spread sexually transmitted diseases, as stated at the beginning of the article.
At the same time, he also acknowledged that South Korea lacks sexual education and knowledge popularization on preventing sexually transmitted diseases. Last year, a co educational high school was reported and stopped by parents for using bananas to teach students how to use condoms.
However, in addition to these, if the underground sex industry and soft pornography industry are still allowed to exist, without sufficient punishment and education for clients, such measures will only address the symptoms rather than the root cause