US Military Gambling
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 10:17 PM

Stars and Stripes has been investigating gambling on US military bases abroad. It turns out that in places like South Korea and Germany, there are slot machines located on-base:

The U.S. Army and Air Force generated more than $83.6 million in revenue via 1,191 slot machines in South Korea in fiscal 2007, according to data provided by the Army’s Family MWR [Morale, Welfare and Recreation] Command and the Air Force Personnel Center.

The Army, which also runs the machines on Navy facilities in South Korea, earned the lion’s share: about $73.5 million with 927 machines. As a comparison, the Army’s 1,550 machines in Europe, including machines the service runs on Air Force and Navy installations, brought in $38.5 million during the same time period.

South Koreans are not supposed to gamble on US military bases but it appears that some of that revenue did come from officially-ineligible Koreans. Some of the revenue comes from military personnel or family members who gamble pathologically.

At least one congressman wants to put an end to on-base gambling. I have some sympathy for that point of view, but I also have another suggestion. Require every person who wants to gamble at an on-base facility to have pre-committed to a daily, weekly, and monthly (and possibly annual) total bet limit. Rig the slots so that they only operate when the player inserts his card into the relevant card reader, so that the previously recorded betting limits can be enforced electronically. (That is, the betting limit cards are like "frequent player cards" that casinos use to track betting and to target freebies.) A gambler who is afraid of his own susceptibilities to addiction can then choose low limits, or even totally self-exclude by not acquiring a card with limits in the first place. This voluntary system is not foolproof, but it is helpful. If this suggestion is seen as too tepid, then the limits can be chosen by the military.

Back in 2005, the New York Times explored some of the problems associated with gambling on US military bases abroad.

Labels: addiction, gambling, Korea, military, self-exclusion, slot machine

 
A New Peril of Alcohol
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 3:22 PM

Excess consumption of alcohol routinely leads to all sorts of tragedy, alas. But here is one possible consequence of over-indulging that you might not have considered: you might accidentally defect to North Korea.

Labels: alcohol, Korea

 
Non-Nuclear North Korean Export Success Story? [Updated!]
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 5:08 PM

Higher cigarette taxes in South Korea have led to a burgeoning market in Pyongyang's, a North Korean brand. Many of the taxes are supposed to apply to such imports, too, but it looks like these levies are not being collected.

Perhaps legal drugs are not the only successful North Korean, non-nuclear export. Thanks to Ken at Crim Law for the pointer.

Labels: Korea, taxes, tobacco

 
Tolerate Prostitution? No, No, Yes, No
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 4:41 PM

In a major reform of commercial sex laws, the British government has proposed prostitution tolerance zones, as well as, perhaps, legalized brothels. But Birmingham has signaled its own zero tolerance approach, by golly:

Councillor Sue Anderson, chairwoman of the city council members' panel on prostitution and Cabinet member for social care and health, said local agencies wanted a zero tolerance approach to prostitution.

She said: "We are committed to addressing any activity surrounding prostitution which causes harm, nuisance and distress.

"The harm caused by both on and off street prostitution is unacceptable and we support a zero tolerance approach."

She continued: "We are recommending that civil and criminal law should be used effectively to tackle pimps, prostitutes, kerb crawlers, users and those who groom the vulnerable for prostitution.

"Where appropriate, legal powers should be strengthened and made more effective."

A crackdown? Hey, I hadn't thought of that -- that should cure any problems associated with prostitution.

In keeping with the special relationship between the US and Britain (or, OK, Birmingham), the US Army in Korea is adopting its own zero tolerance approach to prostitution:

YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea -- Nearly 400 U.S. servicemembers in South Korea have been punished this year for offenses related to prostitution, and military commanders promise continued efforts to end any activity associated with the sex trade or human trafficking, the top U.S. officer in South Korea said.

"Zero tolerance means exactly that. We're not going to tolerate behavior which is dehumanizing, demoralizing and illegal. That’s always been the military’s intent," U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Leon J. LaPorte said in an interview last week with Stars and Stripes.

Now don't get me wrong -- it isn't like the US armed forces haven't always had zero tolerance for, er, commercial vice:

LaPorte also dismissed the notion that the military has lately increased its focus on the issue.

"I wouldn't say that it's something newly emphasized because it has always been the position of the U.S. military — clearly it's been the position of this command — that we don't support this kind of activity," he said.

Liverpool, though, is sticking with its something-greater-than-zero tolerance approach. But they are calling their special areas managed zones, not tolerance zones:

A tolerance zone is where sex workers can work without interference from the authorities. A managed zone would see health workers working with vice girls and include measures such as drop-in centres.

Meanwhile, back in the US, the arrest-our-way-out-of-this-problem approach goes from victory to victory: 85 arrests in Oakland, 100 arrests (for prostitution and drugs) in Orange County, Florida, and so on, and so on.

Labels: arrests, Britain, harm reduction, Korea, prostitution, zero tolerance

 
Korean Men Fight Prostitution Crackdown
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 5:53 PM

The South Korean campaign against prostitution is slated to terminate at the end of October, but the laws criminalising commercial sex will remain in place, of course. Unless, that is, Korean men win their challenge to the laws on human rights grounds:

A men's organization has decided to hand in a petition that calls for repealing the anti-prostitution law, to the National Human Rights Commission. The Korea Men's Association (KMA), an organization aiming for the protection of men's rights and the abolition of sexual discrimination against men, has decided to submit a petition to the human rights commission on Nov. 1.

On Thursday, "The law banning prostitution was established by feminists with animosity toward men," said Lee Kyung-su, the chief of the organization, asserting, "The law made to tie up and crackdown on men should be repealed."

He said, "We are not related to pimps or prostitutes and do not support prostitution," adding, "The problem is that this law regards every man in this country as a latent criminal and discriminates against men."

This is the second somewhat surprising invocation of human rights that has graced Vice Squad this month.

Labels: Korea, prostitution

 
As Vice Crackdowns Go, Maybe Not a Bad One
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 4:33 PM

Vice Squad, not a big fan of criminalizing consensual adult behaviors of what used to be called the "victimless" variety, hasn't been all that complimentary towards the ongoing anti-prostitution crusade in South Korea. How many people have been caught up in the Korean police's commercial sex net?

Police have rounded up 4,365 people for engaging in the sex trade during the one-month crackdown, which began on Sept. 23. The 2,352 men caught for buying sex accounted for 54 percent, followed by 849 brothel owners with 19 percent. 660 sex workers came in third with 15 percent.

More than 4,000 arrests? Actually, no. The overwhelming majority of people "rounded up," whatever that means, are not arrested! "Among those 4,365 violators, police have requested arrest warrants for a total of 171 people, including 100 brothel owners, 62 male customers and four prostitutes." Maybe the US should consider this approach for the more than 1.5 million people rounded up annually as fodder for the drug prohibition machine.

Labels: arrests, Korea, Prohibition, prostitution

 
Support for the Crackdowns on Prostitution in Korea
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 6:09 PM

First there is the crackdown by the Korean authorities, one that has been met with large protests by prostitutes. A separate (but perhaps not unconnected) reform is a plan to alter the US Military Code of Justice, to make it punishable by up to one year in jail and a dishonorable discharge for soldiers to patronize a prostitute. The Department of Defense paper, Stars and Stripes, finds some support for the second reform among Filipina bar girls in South Korea. Things have quieted down in Tongduchon, Korea, too, "since the deployment of 3,600 2nd Infantry Division troops to Iraq in August."

Stars and Stripes also provides useful background and a summary of the effects of the enforcement crackdown (including the use of informants that we mentioned last week), which is due to end on October 31. A sample:

While prostitution has been illegal in South Korea since 1948, officials said, it has long been an open and rarely punished practice. Brothel owners operate in the open, with nearly 100 distinct red-light districts throughout the country. The system thrived on bribes and sexual favors, police officials have acknowledged, vowing to change the way they operate.

Labels: Korea, military, prostitution

 
Prostitution Happenings
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:23 PM

(1) Yesterday marked another large protest by prostitutes in Korea against the current stepped-up anti-prostitution enforcement campaign. The police estimated that 2,800 prostitutes took place, though the crowd was swelled by 1,200 police. The protestors issued a statement, excerpts of which were reported in this news story:

"Women politicians and the women’s groups, which are purported to be helping us, do not have any interest in our day-to-day reality," the statement reads, "Don’t scapegoat us for your cause."

Prior to the larger protest, "about 150 blind masseuses" occupied a highway for half an hour, to demonstrate their concern about the enforcement pressure put on massage parlors -- and on their livelihoods.

(2) A 1995 court case made it illegal for Florida police to use wiretapping to combat prostitution. A Florida Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday did not overturn the earlier case, but nevertheless greatly watered it down, by allowing such wiretaps in racketeering or organized crime cases -- even if the racketeering is prostitution-related. The brief news report makes it appear that the exception will apply to lots of small-scale prostitution operations, and not just major organized crime syndicates.

(3) The parade of arrests of US citizens from all walks of life for prostitution offenses continues. In McAllen, Texas, the "Executive Director of the International Museum of Arts and Sciences (IMAS), is now accused of soliciting the sexual services of [an] undercover cop." Back in Florida, in Jacksonville, "Police announced Friday that some prominent community leaders were busted in a prostitution sting, including a college basketball coach and a former Jacksonville Sheriff's Office lieutenant." The police operation that yielded these arrests didn't even concern the unsavory public manifestation of streetwalking. Rather, it was a reverse sting involving a fake escort service the cops advertised in the paper; the arrestees allegedly arranged a meeting over the phone, and were arrested when they showed up at a hotel room. So now they and their families are publicly humiliated for behavior that is perfectly legal in much of the less-enlightened world. Kudos to the Jacksonville police for resources well-deployed. Part of the beauty of this brilliantly-conceived plan is that it won't even matter if the misdemeanor arrests get thrown out of court, say, on entrapment grounds, because the real punishment is the publicity of the arrest.

Labels: arrests, Korea, policing, prostitution

 
Informants Wanted
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:48 PM

The ongoing crackdown in prostitution in Korea will soon have a new twist: monetary rewards to folks who report instances or locations of commercial sex. It seems that this measure is in part a response to one effect of the crackdown itself, the chasing of the trade onto the internet and residential areas. The informant angle isn't exactly new in vice regulation. The "victimless" nature of adult vice means that when it is criminalized, extraordinary police maneuvers, including stings and the widespread use of informants, become part of the standard enforcement package. Maybe some children will even be induced to turn in a parent!

Meanwhile, the US Army continues to beat the anti-prostitution drum in Korea. When we first checked into this story, we found that suggested alternatives to visiting a prostitute included "expanded chaplains' activities." Today's story notes such wholesome pastimes as frequenting libraries and cybercafes. Cybercafes? Hey, you aren't using the web to connect with a prostitute, are you, soldier?

Labels: informants, internet, Korea, military, prostitution

 
Prostitutes Protest in South Korea
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 6:24 PM

Last Friday Vice Squad noted a crackdown on commercial sex in South Korea. The crackdown, ostensibly aimed at helping prostitutes who might be victimized by traffickers or pimps, consists of greatly increasing the penalties imposed upon customers of prostitutes. Many of the intended beneficiaries are not pleased by the ramped-up paternalism: "In Incheon, 300 prostitutes tried yesterday to confront government officials, demonstrating in a two-hour protest in front of the Incheon City Hall. Women from red-light districts in Seoul and Gyeonggi province gathered to protest a new law being enforced to curb the sex trade, complaining that their ability to make a living is at risk."

Labels: Korea, prostitution

 
Crackdown on Commercial Sex in South Korea
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:41 PM

Friend of Vice Squad Pak Shun Ng brings our attention to this article at the Straits Times Interactive (Singapore), detailing a recent police crackdown on prostitution in Korea. The police spokesperson actually seemed surprised that some of the sex workers were unhappy about the raids, perhaps because the crackdown is presumably motivated to help sex workers: "The owners and the women actually complained about losing their livelihood and they seemed serious about it," the spokesperson is quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the perhaps unrelated attempt by the US armed services to make it an offense for a soldier based overseas to patronize a prostitute is receiving mixed reviews within the ranks. No word on how this change in service regulations will affect any possible repeat of a Mustang Ranch promotion from the early 1990s, when unmarried Gulf War veterans were given free "parties" at the ranch.

Labels: Asia, Korea, prostitution

 
And You Thought That Gays in the Military was a Divisive Issue
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:56 PM

Thousands of years of military tradition are at stake as the US considers rendering it verboten for troops stationed overseas to patronize prostitutes. The rationale is to avoid contributing to the trafficking of women for coerced prostitution: "Defense officials have drafted an amendment to the manual on courts-martial that would make it an offense for U.S. troops to use the services of prostitutes, said Charles Abell, a Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness." A complementary policy underway in Korea is to make life on the base less dull: "That effort includes offering expanded evening and weekend education programs, band concerts, late-night sports leagues and expanded chaplains' activities."

Wow. I imagine that this proposed reform will garner quite a bit of discussion during the 60-day window for public comment.

Having recently watched Shakespeare's Measure For Measure at the reconstructed Globe, let me quote from it: Lechery "is well allied; but it is impossible to extirp it quite, friar, till eating and drinking be put down."

Labels: Korea, prostitution, Shakespeare

 
South Koreans Confound Empirical Economists
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 1:44 PM

It's useful to know how much cigarette consumption will decline in response to a tax-induced price rise. The obvious way to generate this information is to examine previous tax changes, and in particular, to look at the extent of cigarette sales in advance of and following past tax increases. But this straightforward approach is hindered a bit by the fact that cigarettes are storable. Smokers who anticipate a tax increase might stock up before the higher prices come about, so it will look like the decline in consumption caused by the tax increase is greater than it actually is. (Another complicating factor is increased purchases from neighboring jurisdictions when the tax increases.) The South Korean government is reportedly thinking about raising cigarette prices -- sure enough, current sales are booming. Why don't people behave in ways that would make the lives of social scientists easier? [Why not just assume that they do? -- ed.]

Labels: Korea, taxes, tobacco