NationStates Jolt Archive

I ran across this story in a 'newspaper' which is distributed free around train stations in my city. The latest 'news' on the story is a few days old now, and the big story was back in 2006 ... so forgive me please if you've heard it before.

In South Korea, only the blind are permitted to hold a license to perform massage. Massaging without the license is subject to a hefty fine, but there are apparently more sighted masseurs than blind ones. Not being licensed, there is of course no assurance they have any training. They get around the law by offering "sports massage" instead of licensed massage.

The Korean Massage Association, representing licensed masseurs, claims that 13,000 of the country's quarter-million blind citizens work as masseurs. However, the relevant Ministry puts the figure at 7,100.

In May 2006, the Medical Law of 1912 which restricts massage licenses to the legally blind was overturned by the Constitutional Court of Korea. In Sept 2006, following protests by masseurs, it was reinstated by the national legislature. "Sports masseurs" (sighted and therefore unlicensed masseurs) challenged this in the same Constitutional Court, and as of a week or so ago, their appeal has been rejected.

The Constitutional Court Thursday ruled that it is constitutional to allow only the blind the right to hold licenses to be massage therapists.

The ruling came as sports massage therapists made a petition, claiming they should be also given the right to the licenses and that the law is interfering with people's right to choose their occupation.

The Medical Law grants exclusive rights for the masseur license to the visually impaired.

``Given the insufficient welfare polices for the visually impaired, massage can be the only choice for them. Allowing the non-blind to get the masseur license can be a threat to their survival and the law aims to protect the socially weak,'' the court said in the ruling.

The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/117_33572.html)

Some other links to the same story: CanadianPress (http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5jXoO2y_S9aU5YSDslag67_auug)
BBC (before ruling) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7649374.stm)

Seems perfectly reasonable to me. The rights of the sighted to practice massage in Korea are not impinged upon whatsoever -- all they have to do is poke themselves in both eyes with a sharp stick, and they're good to go.

NSG, when your little minds have stopped boggling at the idea of blind masseurs burning cars and killing themselves in protest, perhaps you'd like to comment?

most of the sports massage places are for other purposes.
Some legitimate with a sports massage after a hair cut.
Others not so with massage done by university girl/or high school girl (if you pay and don't mind a seedy place). So Id rather see the licensing law over turn as it would give more goverment over sight in the field and stop some of the brothels run as massage parlors(often employing underage girls).

most of the sports massage places are for other purposes.
Some legitimate with a sports massage after a hair cut.
Others not so with massage done by university girl/or high school girl (if you pay and don't mind a seedy place). So Id rather see the licensing law over turn as it would give more goverment over sight in the field and stop some of the brothels run as massage parlors(often employing underage girls).

So license inspectors could go into a "sports massage" place and demand to see licenses?

The thing is, if they had the will to do that, they'd have shut the brothels down already, since prostitution is illegal in Korea.

Do we both agree that prostitution happens whether it's legal or not, and less harm is done when it is regulated?

Makes sense to me.

So license inspectors could go into a "sports massage" place and demand to see licenses? Yes because there is more money to be made legitimately they would be less likely to legitimately.

The thing is, if they had the will to do that, they'd have shut the brothels down already, since prostitution is illegal in Korea. If there is a licensing process opening a massage parlor becomes easier then renting a place and sticking up a sign. They have to get a license which lets the government know whats going on.


Do we both agree that prostitution happens whether it's legal or not, and less harm is done when it is regulated?
Yes, provided these are adults. The minors should be prevented from engaging in this sort of business. As they are likely to be conned or forced into it by an adult. Registering all sex workers makes child prostitution much more difficult.

Yes because there is more money to be made legitimately they would be less likely to [il]legitimately. If there is a licensing process opening a massage parlor becomes easier then renting a place and sticking up a sign. They have to get a license which lets the government know whats going on.

The straighforward way to do that would be to license "sports masseurs" separately.

Clearly there is more demand for masseurs than is being filled by eligible blind people, if as you say some of the sports masseurs provide a proper massage.

Nor should the licensed blind masseurs worry too much about losing their livelihoods. Plenty of people would choose a licensed "masseur" over a licensed "sports masseur" because the former has the respectability of tradition, and the latter may or may not be a cover for prostitution.

Yes, provided these are adults. The minors should be prevented from engaging in this sort of business. As they are likely to be conned or forced into it by an adult. Registering all sex workers makes child prostitution much more difficult.

We completely agree then.

I just saw in WikiPedia that while the age of consent in Germany is 16, the legal age to practice prostitution is 18. Seems like a good idea to me.

You know,this is the sort of affirmative action that does not offend me. It's hard for blingd people to get employment - so why not give them work where being blid is not much of a handicap. Let's face it - better massage than say, brain surgery, school crossing supervision or air traffic control.

I was in Cambodia and had a massage from a young blind woman. It was a beautiful spiritual experience and she was a good masseuse. I felt better and so did my back. We need to remember the handicapped more than we do - this is a pretty individualistic society we have developed in the West. A bit too free market which rests too much on the myth of individual "merit"

Good post Bugs!