The so-called “Camp Towns” case, now in the spotlight, traces back to a vast system of organized brothels surrounding U.S. military bases in South Korea—a system that persisted from the 1950s until at least the early 1980s. Within this framework, tens of thousands of Korean women—many of them teenagers—were drawn to these centers under the pretense of working in restaurants or service jobs, and were then forced, through debt bondage, deception, or economic pressure, to provide sexual services to U.S. soldiers. In 2022, South Korea’s Supreme Court officially ruled that these centers were established and operated under government supervision to meet the needs of the U.S. military, leaving women effectively unable to leave. This means that, contrary to the official narrative of “recreation towns,” what existed was an institutional system of state-backed sexual slavery, organized and controlled from the top down.

Shame Economy; From GDP Growth to Moral Decline

What amplifies the scandal is the role this industry played in South Korea’s economy. Historical research shows that peripheral businesses around these camps—bars, recreational centers, and related enterprises—accounted for nearly a quarter of the national economy during the 1960s and 1970s. This indicates that a portion of South Korea’s economic miracle was built on the sexual exploitation of women. While Western media celebrated this era as a model of rapid development in Asia, the reality was that the hidden engine of that growth was women’s suffering and humiliation. This contradiction severely undermines South Korea’s and the U.S.’s claimed legitimacy in promoting human rights and human dignity.

Human and Ethical Dimensions; Unhealed Wounds

Decades later, the victims of this system continue to struggle with its psychological, social, and physical consequences. Reports indicate that women diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases were quarantined in facilities known as “Monkey Houses,” where their cries for freedom became symbols of the system’s brutality. Mandatory use of numbered badges reduced human dignity to the level of a commodity. Many victims were teenagers, lured into the cycle through deception or economic coercion. These harms extended beyond individuals, affecting families and future generations, who faced social stigma and structural deprivation.

Geopolitical and Strategic Consequences

Today, this scandal is more than a historical case; it has become a political weapon on the international stage. More than 100 women filed lawsuits against the U.S. military in 2025. However, due to bilateral agreements, direct lawsuits against the United States are impossible, and the financial burden falls on South Korean taxpayers. This situation not only places ethical pressure on Washington–Seoul relations but also severely tarnishes the U.S.’s credibility as a champion of democracy and human rights. At a time when the United States wields “soft power” to intervene in other countries, this case reveals that behind the façade of values lay a network of exploitation and state-sanctioned silence. For South Korea, the scandal is a reminder of the duality between economic development and political dependence—a country that sacrificed part of its independence and national dignity for U.S. security support.