Dozens of review posts are uploaded on a prostitution review site. Screenshot from website

"Fresh!" "Absolutely top-notch!" — These aren't restaurant reviews on a popular food portal site, but posts from a prostitution review site with over 40,000 members.

Here, women involved in prostitution are rated as "high," "medium" or "low," with hundreds of reviews posted daily.

Just as multiple franchise restaurants are listed on delivery platforms, various prostitution establishments partner with these sites to advertise women, with visitors leaving reviews.

The police recently arrested and forwarded charges against a man in his 30s (online alias "Black Owl") who specialized in posting prostitution reviews, but major review sites continue to operate with tens of thousands of users. Minors can easily access these sites without any age verification process.

A user on a prostitution review site expresses discontent after hearing recent news of the police arresting users who posted prostitution reviews along with illegal footage. Screenshot from website

Easy access, no age verification

Prostitution review sites can be accessed with just a few simple search terms on portal sites as the membership registration process is lax.

On all five prostitution review sites visited by the Hankook Ilbo, users could register without any adult verification or even providing a phone number.

Some sites even used names similar to well-known domestic delivery or travel platforms to promote themselves. Inside these sites, slang terms for various types of prostitution establishments, such as "XXCafe" or "XX Room," were rampant. One site saw 249 reviews posted in just one day.

The reviews generally included the name of the establishment and detailed accounts of prostitution experiences. The appearance, body and behavior of sex workers were described explicitly and graphically. Users used coded terms like "F" (face), "B" (body), "T" (talk) and "P" (play) to rate their experiences in a crude manner.

A registration prompt for a prostitution review site, which claims to be for adults only but has no age verification process. Screenshot from website

Many posts included nude photos that appeared to be professionally taken, and some review posts even had videos of sexual acts, attracting hundreds of comments.

One user has been posting steadily since 2017, writing 424 reviews. "Black Owl" also frequently posted video reviews using a high-end camera, with police confiscating up to 5 terabytes of video footage.

Users post reviews to earn points, which can be redeemed for coupons to use at prostitution establishments. Most sites offer coupons for discounts or free services, sponsored by the establishments.

An industry insider said, "Members who use coupons are required to write reviews, creating a structure where reviews are continuously reproduced."

Experts warn that additional sex crimes could occur on these prostitution review sites. Gettyimagebank

Crackdowns face challenges

Despite the severity of the situation, where review postings directly lead to more prostitution, crackdowns are difficult.

While the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic allows for the punishment of those advertising prostitution, there are no specific regulations against sharing reviews. Only when it is confirmed that illegal photos or videos have been posted can they be punished under the Sexual Violence Crimes Act.

Shutting down these sites would be the fundamental solution, but this is challenging to achieve in a short time. Police have to request for a site to be blocked by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, which can take months if evidence gathering is difficult.

Even if a site is blocked, most simply change their web address slightly and continue operating. They use tactics like adding numbers to the end of the site name, such as "OOO52.com," and relaunch each time a block is imposed.

A police official said, "During the investigation after a block request, they can change domains, host servers overseas or use ghost accounts and foreign names, making it even harder to identify suspects."

Experts warn that additional sex crimes could occur on these review sites. "Prostitution review sites are fundamentally based on the illegal trade and objectification of sex," said Lee Eun-eui, a lawyer who has handled many sex crime cases. "They can lead to other crimes, such as the distribution of illegal videos, as seen in the 'Black Owl' case. There is an urgent need for measures to block these sites more quickly."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.