SEOUL - South Korean room salons – private bars that hire women to entertain guests – are often accused of abusing their closed-door nature to provide illegal prostitution services.

       Recently, they have been turning to drugs to compete for customers.

       The main substances used in Seoul clubs are ketamine and Ecstasy, according to people close to the matter and the police.

       “The term ‘candy’, for example, is slang for Ecstasy, and its main consumers are visitors of nightlife facilities and those working in entertainment establishments,” a male escort-turned-YouTuber named Kongdal said in a recently uploaded video.

       The drug boosts the release of serotonin, known as a “feel-good hormone”, associated with mood regulation and the ability to experience pleasure, he explained.

       But Ecstasy also has side effects, two of which are dehydration and “dry mouth”, when the mouth does not produce enough saliva to feel comfortable.

       “When visitors’ bodies start to run low on water (after taking the drugs), they (instinctively) reach out for more drinks, and the entertainment facilities can benefit from this,” he said, claiming that the facilities choose to provide alcohol to the customers instead of water to help quench their thirst.

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       In “1 per cent room salons” – which cater to society’s richest 1 per cent, often on a membership basis – patrons are offered exclusive access to drugs, drinks, privacy and prostitution.

       The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Oct 31 that officials had nabbed around 91 people on charges of selling and taking Ecstasy and ketamine at an entertainment bar in Gangnam, one of the most active nightlife districts in the capital.

       Of them, 28 were employees, while 25 were customers. The other 38 were drug suppliers not directly employed by the clubs.

       This was the first time that the authorities formally requested administrative action against entertainment facilities involved in drug-related activities under the Narcotics Control Act, according to the police.

       According to officials, the operator of the entertainment facility confessed that he had engaged in illegal practices from January to September 2024 to “draw in more patrons”.

       Drugs and nightlife venues have often been linked, and it is often the younger generation – mostly college students in their early 20s – that becomes involved.

       “The younger generation, ranging from university students to those newly entering society (after getting jobs) and even social elites, often becomes frequent users of these entertainment establishments. Allowing them to take drugs at places hidden from the outside world, as well as providing them with sex, can shape them into loyal customers, and operators can earn large sums of money,” Dr Yoon Heung-hee, a professor at Hansung University’s drug and alcohol addiction department, told The Korea Herald.

       “If drugs were available only in places in Gangnam before, they would now be easily found and accessed in vibrant playgrounds for youngsters such as Sinchon, Hongdae and Itaewon due to the lack of surveillance. It’s becoming a serious societal problem,” said the former police officer, who worked in narcotics.

       The spread of drugs also raises the risk of sexual assault of intoxicated victims, sometimes after their drinks are spiked.

       To help deal with the situation, the Seoul Metropolitan Government in June started providing entertainment businesses categorised as “high-risk” with rapid test kits to detect a drug that can be used recreationally but is also known as a “date rape” drug. The test requires a single drop from a suspect drink, and the result comes out within minutes, according to officials.

       Dr Huh Chang-deog, a sociology professor at Yeungnam University, warned that the entertainment businesses that commit such crimes abusively capitalise on the visitors’ psychology of wanting to “escape from reality”.

       “I assume people visiting these nightlife venues are those who eagerly want to escape from reality or are going through immense stress. Drugs, accompanied by alcohol and female or male escorts, could be the best respite for them without knowing that they are committing a crime,” he said.

       “This culture will never fade away unless investigation authorities tighten their investigations into drugs and make drug offenders pay the price.”

       According to the customs agency on Nov 4, a total of 623 cases of drug trafficking attempts were detected during the first nine months of 2024, or 24 per cent more than 2023. The agency said it had confiscated 574kg of drugs or the amount that could used by some 19 million people at the same time.

       In light of rapidly rising drug cases, lawmaker Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea said that she has proposed a Bill expanding the authority to investigate drug cases to officials at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and local governments.

       “Drugs are spreading rapidly (within society), affecting youngsters and even corporate workers. I hope this Bill will be passed quickly to curb the illegal spread of drugs,” she said. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK