Many South Koreans are unaware that massage parlors without masseuses who are blind or who are certified professionals are illegal. / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

When you want a massage, will you go to an authorized blind person or visit a parlor that is almost certainly illegal?

The fact is that most Koreans do not know about, or choose to ignore, the law about using or providing a massage service in this country.

Across the country are tens of thousands of massage parlors that vary in style and price, from traditional Thai to imperial Chinese, aroma therapy, sports and foot care. The parlors hire not just Koreans but also foreign masseuses for cheaper labor.

These parlors are all illegal, according to Article 82, Clause 1 of the nation's medical law that says providing a therapeutic massage for business is exclusively reserved for people who are blind or nationally certified professionals.

However, illegal parlors dominate the market. Within one kilometer of one of Seoul's hottest tourist spots, the Myeong-dong district in Jung-gu, there are 280 massage parlors, of which 14 are estimated to be legal, according to Hankook Ilbo.

Other areas close to other concentrated business districts ― Chongsin University metro station in Dongjak-gu and Samseong metro station in Gangnam-gu ― have a similar proportion, with the former having 12 legitimate operators out of 198 parlors and the latter 11 out of 255.

The health and welfare ministry said Monday that among 252,794 people with visual disability in the nation are 9,742 licensed masseuses working at 1,300 legal massage parlors..

The ministry has been trying to crack down on the illegal operators, enforcing the legal penalty of up to three years' jail or a fine up to 10 million won ($9,000).

But controlling the sector is like smiting a rock with an egg. The operators and law enforcers almost never bother each other unless there is evidence of prostitution.

A masseuse at a hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said parlors that did not provide sexual services were rarely raided.

"In other words, the government doesn't dare really to deal with an industry deeply rooted within our society," Hankook Ilbo observed. "Law enforcement officers only search selected parlors to show that the law is trying to help the blind and others with licenses."

A court case in April has encouraged the spread of illegal parlors. In 2011, the Fair Trade Commission banned the nation's first establishment of illegal massage affiliates from publicizing their services.

The business filed a countersuit, which the Supreme Court upheld this year. The final ruling said registering business information for public exposure did not require vetting to check whether it violated the medical law.

Illegal parlors also get a boost from colleges and private institutions issuing "fake certificates" to students who complete their training.

Sheriffs from municipal authorities do not have the authority to shut down illegal parlors because most are registered as a "liberal profession."

Korea Sports Massage Certificate Association President Kim Tae-young said new legislation that approved establishments operated by blind people and those without physical disability was needed.

"Instead, the physically disabled could enjoy benefits like tax reduction while the others would have to pay extra taxes," Kim said.