More Korean men in their early 20s go to Japan to work in host bars, for which the island country has something of a reputation. Korean men under 24 who have not completed their military duty can travel overseas without a government permit as of this year; as a result, more of them have decided to entertain women in such bars there. One community site at a major online portal is awash with questions about landing the jobs, which are reputed to be well paid. One veteran of the trade says many of the Korean men now working for host bars in Japan previously worked for host bars here. Others do it part-time there.

He points out it is illegal to work in Japan on a tourist visa, but most do it anyway. Korean hosts go through brokers who earn around W300,000 (US$1=W938) per person from the host bars in Japan; many fall victim to fraudsters. Host bars are concentrated in Tokyo, Shinjuku and Ueno.

The insider says hosts earn some 300,000-350,000 yen a month. If they take advantage of a long-established practice where they get another 10,000 yen for every customer they attract, they can earn even more. Japanese police sometimes crack down on the bars unexpectedly, and any illegal residents caught are banned from Japan for a decade. "In most cases, they choose to work for host bars that cater to foreign women to make a quick buck. But many of them find their body ruined and end up being heavily in debt," the insider says. "They shouldn’t think they can make a fortune that easily. You just rot away if you spend the best years of their life in a place like that.

(englishnews@chosun.com )