Moon: Sex Among Allies

I really liked the way in which Moon examined this issue, by not only looking at the personal level but also expanding it and putting it in the context of international relations. She makes a crucial point when she writes “both governments have viewed such prostitution as a means to advance the ‘friendly relations’ of both countries and to keep US soldiers ‘who fight so hard for the freedom of the South Korean people,’ happy.” (p.2) I would be very interested to read further to see to what extent prostitution was encouraged or fostered by these two governments. I think she makes a good point that one reason these women have been ostracize is because Korean do not want a constant reminder of the war and the insecurity it brought. I found it interesting that she observed how Koreans differentiate between the prostitution inflicted on them by the Japanese but do not recognize the problem of kijich’on prostitutes. Based on my own knowledge I think it is vital to emphasis the position Korean culture still plays in society today, and how completely ostracized these women and their children are by their cultural values. Lastly I think she argues well the fact that kijich’on prostitutes are viewed as a necessary evil of the US presence, and since the US is needed for protection then so is prostitution.

On a side note this prologue greatly reminded my of one of my favorite shows MASH. Even though MASH was a comedy it did to a large extent portray the struggles of war particularly the hardship of Koreans. In one episode of the show, they too point out the social stigma for Korean women who mix with American soldiers. The show delved deep into the issues raised by this introduction. The show covered everything from the statues of prostitutes and their offspring to the dream of many of these Korean women to marry a US soldier. If anyone is interest I would recommend the episode “Yessir, That's Our Baby” (season 8 episode 15). Here the doctors in MASH find an abandoned Amerasian baby and attempt to secure her a better future. One reason I think I found this article so interesting was the informal background MASH gives its viewers.