The largest number of patrons for prostitution in Southeast Asia came from South Korea, surpassing visitors from Japan and China, according to a recent research report.

The Chosun Ilbo published an article on Wednesday which stated that the Korean Institute of Criminology conducted field surveys and interviewed social workers in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, and concluded that “Korean tourists outnumber all other nationalities in terms of the frequency of their visits to prostitutes.”

The Chosun Ilbo is quick to note that there is no hard data to support the claims “but a tally of tourists who frequent bars linked to prostitution and accounts of sex workers appear to confirm them.’

In the Philippines, Korean tourists in 2011 outnumbered tourists from any other country, with a total of 920,000 visitors. Korean tourists to Cambodia came in second to Vietnamese tourists in 2011, while Koreans were the No. 2 visitor to Vietnam. It is not mentioned whether the number of Korean “johns” is in a disproportionate number to the overall number of tourists.

The report published by the Korean Institute of Criminology speculates that Korean tourists have a “lack of guilt” when it comes to paying for sex, according to the Chosun Ilbo.

A survey on 900 people by the institute in October last year found that 77.7 percent were not aware that paying for sex overseas is an offence under Korean law, and 78.5 percent thought their chances of getting punished were low.

Another cause of the problem, according to the report, is that tourists are frequently solicited to pay for sex. Korean tourists in their 20s and 30s are lured into purchasing tour packages involving prostitution on the Internet, while those in their 40s and 50s are approached by travel agents. Neither practice met with much restraint.

The KIC said many tourists do not go on trips aiming to pay for sex, but local tour guides take them to insalubrious establishments as part of the package.

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