South Korean adult festival featuring Japanese porn stars faces stiff opposition amid prostitution concerns

Mayor Kim Kyung-il of Paju City, Gyeonggi province, who played a pivotal role in cancelling the “2024 KFX The Fashion” event in his city, voiced his concerns during an appearance on CBS Radio’s “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” on Wednesday.

“There are suspicions that prostitution could occur at the adult festival,” Kim said, emphasising the necessity for stringent regulatory measures.

The festival, organised by Play Joker, was initially scheduled to take place in Suwon, but was moved to Paju due to local opposition, and eventually faced cancellations at alternative venues along the Han River and in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

Countering Mayor Kim’s argument, lawmaker Cheon Ha-ram of the New Reform Party, newly elected on a proportional representation ticket, questioned the selective enforcement of laws.

“If that’s the concern, why aren’t room salons (where male clients are entertained by hostesses) across the country being shut down?” Cheon said during the CBS talk show.

He defended the legality of the presence of adult film actors, asserting that being in such a profession is not inherently illegal, nor should it be grounds for prohibiting them from taking part in events.

Cheon criticised the use of public authority to interfere in cultural affairs without clear evidence of illegal activities, suggesting that measures should target specific illegal acts like production and distribution of adult film content rather than banning events based on the professions of the participants.

However, the mayor raised concerns about potential illegal activities at the festival.

“Last year’s festival reportedly charged about 3.5 million won for ‘special services,’ and there are strong signals that it was closely related to prostitution due to the