Home > World > World

Online exploitation and 'Koreatown' redlight districts: Korean-style prostitution booms in Vietnam

Published: 04 Nov. 2025, 14:53 Updated: 04 Nov. 2025, 21:47

A Vietnamese woman in her 30s, identified only as N, reported the “pakje room” case to the Women Migrants Human Rights Center of Korea in September 2024. The secret chatroom had shared personal information and illegally taken photos of Vietnamese women. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

In secret online chat rooms with thousands of Korean men, nude photos of Vietnamese women are traded like currency, their personal information exposed and mocked — the digital front line of a growing sex tourism network that exports Korea’s darkest underground to Southeast Asia.

"I need people in Korea to know what Korean men are doing here," said a Vietnamese woman in her 30s, trembling with anger. Though her words were in Vietnamese, her emotions were unmistakable. She said a Korean man, who turned out to be married, lied to her about his marital status and posted her private information and photos on social media without her consent.

She is one of many victims whose personal details surfaced in a private chat room — a “pakje room” — that drew between 1,400 and 1,700 members. Pakje, a Korean term meaning taxidermy, is also used as slang for taking a screenshot of someone’s information and sharing it publicly.

The woman, identified only as N, first reported the case to the Korea Center for Women Migrants’ Human Rights on Sept. 26, 2024.

“I infiltrated the pakje room and monitored their conversations,” N said. “It’s a private chat room that requires ID verification to enter. They shared the personal details of Vietnamese women, including nude photos.”

A screenshot shows an expose room where users share personal information and illegal photos of Vietnamese women. One participant posts a woman’s photo along with her name, age and social media ID. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

A second report was filed during an online video interview in October, interpreted by a Vietnamese staff member at the center. Nam Ji, the activist who coordinated the report via KakaoTalk and the video call, later visited Vietnam to investigate the situation on the ground.

Nam and a fact-finding team conducted field research in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong and Da Nang over 10 days from June 27 to July 6.

The JoongAng Ilbo met with Nam and reviewed screenshots of the chat room conversations, interviews with victims and other evidence. This article, the first in a two-part series, examines Korean men’s sex tourism and sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia based on those findings and interviews with civic groups tracking such crimes.

Around 6 p.m. on June 27, a motorcycle carrying several young women arrives at a massage parlor in an alley in Hanoi. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

The pakje room was effectively an overseas version of Korea’s infamous “Nth room," where thousands, if not tens of thousands of men, in Korea joined to sexually exploit women and produce videos of them to blackmail them into obedience. Members shared degrading comments, illegal images and prostitution tips. Racist and misogynistic language was commonplace.

One conversation went:

“Are nude photos banned here?”
“Yoshi! (a Japanese word for ‘great’)”
“Can I upload them?”
“If it’s about a pajke girl, it’s okay.”
“OK.”

Soon after, two images of a nearly naked Vietnamese woman were posted in a chatroom with 1,422 members. The room was titled “F***ed-Up Vietnam Pakje Room.” Earlier conversations included comments like “This girl’s video is insane.”

An pakje room shares personal information and illegal content involving Vietnamese women. N. reports the case in September 2024, prompting a joint investigation in Vietnam from June 27 to July 6. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

Nam said the pakje room briefly disappeared after it drew public attention in August 2024, but quickly reemerged. Users even created a backup chat called “Pakje Room Refuge” and said this had happened before. The original chat room N reported has since been deleted.

“There’s a Facebook group where over 600 Vietnamese women — many of whom dated Korean men or were victims of pakje rooms — share their experiences,” N said. “I just want this issue to be known. Neither Vietnam nor Korea is helping the victims.”

Many of the women featured in the chat rooms were sex workers. Korean men shared their experiences to help each other avoid so-called “internal injuries” — slang for being ripped off or receiving unsatisfactory service. These reviews often included photos, videos and physical details taken without the women’s consent.

“This isn’t just about visiting foreign brothels,” said Nam. “It’s the export of Korea’s organized sexual exploitation system.”

A backup pakje room is created in case the original is shut down following media coverage or reports. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

'Korean-style' prostitution spreads across Southeast Asia

A motorcycle carrying four people pulled up outside a store in Vietnam around 6 p.m. on June 27. The sign was in Korean, indicating it catered to Korean clients. The man driving had blonde hair. The three women with him wore short skirts and shorts.

Two more motorcycles arrived shortly after, each carrying three to five women. More than 10 women entered the store within minutes of the arrival of three Korean men. This was witnessed by a 10-member Korean women’s rights delegation, including Nam, who were in Vietnam to investigate the proliferation of Korean-style sex trade.

What they saw resembled Korea’s now-defunct red-light districts: bars with karaoke lounges in between, and women delivered by van — though in Vietnam, motorcycles took their place. The “choice” culture, where men select women from a lineup, was identical.

On June 27, women get off a motorcycle outside a massage parlor in Hanoi. Two more motorcycles carrying young women arrive shortly after three Korean men enter the building. [NAM JI, WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

A man smokes in front of a hotel in Hanoi after dropping off a young woman on a motorcycle. Transporting women by motorcycle to hotels and karaoke bars catering to Korean men is a common scene. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

In Hanoi, typical “Koreatowns” lined with Korean restaurants, massage parlors and karaoke rooms were easy to spot. Groups of Korean men walked between venues, and at some venues, women in uniforms waited in rows outside. The delegation identified 42 such establishments.

A Vietnamese man in his 40s, identified as Kien Van, who has worked as a tour guide and driver for 14 years, explained the typical itinerary: “Korean businessmen or tourists play golf in the morning, drink in the afternoon and engage in prostitution in the evening.”

“Sometimes they hand you a business card with an address after drinking,” he added. “When you go there, it’s a shop with a Korean sign where locals aren’t allowed in.”

“These ‘Koreatowns’ openly advertise with Korean signs and hire hostesses,” said Shin Grina, a researcher with the National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women. “Would you bring your family to tour a Koreatown like that?”

A screenshot from an expose room reported by N. shows a user uploading a baby photo to mock another participant. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

Nam Ji, an activist with the Women Migrants Human Rights Center of Korea, speaks in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the center’s office in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, on Oct. 31. [LEE TAE-YUN]

“Only for men”: The exclusion of women

The delegation attempted to enter an eight-story massage parlor in Bac Ninh on July 1 but was repeatedly told, “Only boy, not you,” by staff. The building had several darkened rooms visible from the outside, but they were denied entry.

Even at regular restaurants, female visitors were often told there was nowhere suitable for them to go. When the team asked a Korean barbecue restaurant owner for karaoke recommendations, he responded, “There’s nowhere for women like you.”

“There were no Korean women anywhere on the streets of Bac Ninh,” Shin said. “It was surreal.”

Bac Ninh is home to 15 industrial complexes, including operations by Canon, Sumitomo, Foxconn and major Korean conglomerates. Nam called on Korean companies to educate their local staff and expats about these issues.

A massage parlor occupies an entire eight-story building in Bac Ninh. On July 1, 10 Korean researchers were denied entry with the explanation “only for boys.” [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

A sign reading “STD test” and “counseling and treatment” in Korean hangs in a street in Bac Ninh on July 1. [WOMEN MIGRANTS HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF KOREA]

Just one case recorded

Despite the scale of these operations, enforcement is nearly nonexistent. Only 11 cases were reported in 2023 for violations of the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution, with just one in Vietnam, according to the Korean National Police Agency.

“Anyone who’s been to Southeast Asia has likely seen these uncomfortable scenes,” Nam said. “Many dismiss it as 'just helping women make money,’ but Korea is now exporting systemic sexual exploitation — and we must take responsibility.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE TAE-YUN, PARK SEONG-HUN [[email protected]]