Is prostitution legal in South Korea?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal, despite the sex trade flourishing and being large.
South Korea is one of 101 countries classified “Illegal” for sex work — 46% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Prostitution in Asia
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- North Korea
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal and punishable by labor under the Criminal Law.
- Japan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal under the 1956 Anti-Prostitution Law, though enforcement is loose.
- Taiwan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal nationwide as no special zones have been opened.
- China
- Illegal Prostitution is officially illegal in mainland China, despite being widespread in practice.
- Hong Kong
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal, but organized prostitution, pimping, and public solicitation are illegal.
- Macau
- Illegal Selling sex is legal, but procuring and operating brothels are criminal offenses.
Other laws in South Korea
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Pornography
- Illegal
- Divorce
- Legal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted
- Incest Laws
- Legal between adults
- Marriage Age
- 18+
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.