Though South Korea is a developed country known for its prosperous economy and high standards for education and health, the Korean Feminist Association has revealed that between 500,000 to 1.2 million girls are working in the country’s sex trade. In “Save My Seoul,” a man who appears to be a police officer tells the filmmakers that Seoul has become a paradise for the sex industry.
The documentary film, which will be screening October 15 through Spring 2015, follows Jubilee Project co-founders Eddie and Jason Lee in their mission to uncover the Korean sex trade as they secretly record evidence of prostitution in Seoul through hidden microphones and also conduct interviews with several victims of the sex industry. The film trailer begins with a woman advertising prostitutes to the brothers and encouraging them to stay the night.
One man, uncredited in the trailer, states, “It’s hidden, but once you know what to look for, you realize it’s everywhere.”
According to the “Save My Seoul” website, the organization hopes to “ultimately spur action to end trafficking in Korea and beyond.” They offered early screenings of their film at schools, such as Whitney High School. Whitney’s Girl Up Club is hosting the screening on Friday, and Jason Lee will be speaking at the event.
Katy Uchiyama, treasurer of the Girl Up Club, told JSR, “There are 94 million cases of prostitution every year and not much is being done to stop it. People either are not aware of the issue or choose to turn a blind eye. I hope hosting the film screening at Whitney will open people’s eyes and show that sex trafficking is a huge issue that occurs everywhere.”
The Jubilee Project will hopefully succeed in its goal of shedding light on the issue and will help protect girls, not only in South Korea but around the world.
Learn more about the film, and watch the trailer, at http://www.savemyseoul.com/.
