Save My Seoul (2017) - full transcript

Save My Seoul follows two Korean-American brothers as they discover rampant prostitution and sex trafficking in Seoul, South Korea. With the use of hidden cameras and access to pimps, johns, and sex-workers, Eddie and Jason explore and unravel the complexity of the sex trade in Seoul. They learn that this problem is rooted in issues far deeper than lost girls and lustful men. Instead, it's a consequence of the broken Korean culture that turns a blind eye to and condones one of the biggest human injustices of our generation.

AH. OH.

WE'LL HAVE THIS, AGAIN,
IN YOUR RIGHT HAND FOR NOW.

SHE'S GOING TO SWITCH HANDS
AS SHE GETS OUT.

RIGHT, AND THE FEELING IS
DESPERATION, WHATEVER IT TAKES.

ROLLING.

AND ACTION.

HEY, JASON.
- HI, PASTOR EDDIE, HOW ARE YOU?

- GOOD. HOW ARE YOU DOING?
- DOING GOOD, THANKS.

- CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY?
- YEAH.

YEAH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S
SOMETHING THAT KIND OF

CAME ON TO MY RADAR
JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.



THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT FORMS
OF PROSTITUTION IN KOREA,

AND THE MORE I RESEARCH,
THE MORE HORRIFIC

AND THE MORE WIDESPREAD
I REALIZED THAT IT WAS.

MM.

SO THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP

TO CONTACT YOU GUYS

AND SEE IF YOU WOULD
ACTUALLY BE OPEN TO WORKING

AND HELPING US 'CAUSE I
REALLY BELIEVE THAT THIS PROJECT

CAN POTENTIALLY
BE NATION-CHANGING.

...FLIGHT 6977.

UNITED AIRLINES
FLIGHT 7321 TO SEOUL INCHEON

IS NOW READY
FOR BOARDING.

FOR YOUR SAFETY
AND CONVENIENCE,

PASSENGERS WILL BE BOARDING
IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER.



GOOD MORNING. SOUTH KOREA
IS A TREND-SETTER,

SETTING THE TONE FOR EVERYTHING
FROM K-POP TO SOAP OPERAS.

- SOUTH KOREA...
- SOUTH KOREA...

- SOUTH KOREA...
- SOUTH KOREA...

SOUTH KOREA'S ECONOMY WAS THE
SAME AS KENYA'S WHEN I WAS BORN.

AND THEN WAS 40 TIMES LARGER THAN KENYA'S.
THINK ABOUT THAT.

IT HAS BEEN INSPIRING TO WATCH
KOREA'S RISE WITHIN MY OWN LIFETIME.

WHAT'S THE THING
YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH THESE DAYS?

- K-POP.
- K-POP?

* OPPA GANGNUM STYLE...

REPRESENTING THE REPUBLIC
OF KOREA, YUNA KIM.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE
A LOT OF THINGS THAT I THINK

KOREANS ARE VERY PROUD OF
CONCERNING THIS COUNTRY.

AND THIS IS COMING FROM A
COUNTRY THAT WAS IN DIRE POVERTY

LESS THAN A CENTURY AGO.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS

OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
TO THE HARD WORK ETHIC,

BUT ALSO THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE
OF THE OLDER GENERATION.

THAT THEY WERE WILLING
TO SACRIFICE

LITERALLY ALMOST ANYTHING FOR
THE SAKE OF THE GREATER GOOD.

BUT AS A RESULT,
THE MORAL FIBER OF THIS COUNTRY

HAS NOW BECOME AN EMPTY SHELL
OF WHAT WE USED TO BE.

10 MILLION CUSTOMERS
PER YEAR.

ESTIMATES HAVE ANYWHERE
FROM HALF A MILLION

TO 1.3 MILLION
WOMEN AND GIRLS

WHO ARE INVOLVED
IN THE SEX INDUSTRY

IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.

AND THE REASON WHY OF THE WORLD WILL NOT BE AWARE OF IT

IS BECAUSE WE ARE VERY GOOD
AS A KOREAN PEOPLE

OF SAVING FACE AND PUTTING
ON THE PROPER IMAGE

OF WHAT LOOKS GOOD
ON THE OUTSIDE.

BUT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT IS IMPACTING

EVERY WALK OF SOCIETY
IN THIS COUNTRY.

AND IT'S ONLY GONNA GET BIGGER
UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

TEN, NINE, EIGHT,

SEVEN, SIX, FIVE,

FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE,
ZERO.

- BLAST OFF.
- WHAT?

YOU RECORDING?

- THIS IS BETTER.
- YEAH, IT'S LINED UP.

- OKAY.
- READY?

- YEAH.
- LET'S DO IT.

I THINK HE'S ABOUT
TO GO IN THERE.

WE SHOULD GO.

LET'S GO.

- HUH?
- THAT'S THEM UP THERE.

- WAIT, LET'S WAIT HERE.
- OH, MY GOD.

- THAT'S THEM FOR SURE.
- REALLY.

OH, MY GOD.

HEY GUYS, CAN YOU, UH,

CAN YOU GUYS GATHER
AROUND HERE, PLEASE?

THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY OF THE PAST FEW YEARS.

WE'RE JUST HERE TO LOVE.

AND JUST TO ENCOURAGE YOU
THAT LIGHT

IS ALWAYS
GREATER THAN DARKNESS.

OKAY.

SO EVERYONE CAN HANG OUT
OVER HERE.

I WANT TO GO INSIDE
AND TALK TO THEM.

GO AHEAD AND WAIT
OVER HERE.

OKAY, YEAH.

MIC CHECK, ONE, TWO.

A POLICE STATION.

ALL RIGHT,
THIS IS POLICE NUMBER TWO.

WE'RE HEADED TO
THE CAPITAL OFFICE.

THIS IS AUDIO FOUR,
POLICE STATION NUMBER THREE.

EDDIE AND I BOTH HAVE
A WIRELESS MIC ON.

MIC CHECK, ONE, TWO,
MIC CHECK, ONE, TWO.

OKAY, GOOD.

- YOU ALL RIGHT?
- YEAH, ARE YOU?

IS SOMEONE IN THERE?

- HELLO.
- HELLO.

WHAT'D HE SAY?

I THINK HE JUST SAID
IT WAS OKAY.

THE POLICE ARE VERY WELL AWARE
OF WHAT'S GOING ON.

IN FACT, THEY VISIT
A LOT OF THESE SEXUAL SERVICES.

AND THEY EXPECT FREE SERVICES
AS A RESULT.

SO UNFORTUNATELY,
CORRUPTION IT A BIG REASON WHY IT'S STILL RAMPANT.

TEST ONE, TWO.
ED, GIVE ME A TEST.

TESTING ONE, TWO.
ONE, TWO.

ALL RIGHT.

SEEMS DANGEROUS.

YOU WANT TO GO IN?

THERE IS A COMMON CORE DIGNITY
AND A SACREDNESS

THAT EVERY PERSON HAS.

AND WHAT THE SEX INDUSTRY DOES
IS IT DESTROYS THAT DIGNITY.

IT DESTROYS THAT HONOR.
IT DESTROYS THE FREEDOM

THAT EACH PERSON HAS
A RIGHT TO HAVE

FROM THE MOMENT
THEY ARE BORN.

MY NAME IS ESTHER.

* YOU COME AROUND
AND MAKE THE SEASONS CHANGE *

* YOU COME AROUND
AND LEAVE THE WAY YOU CAME *

* YOU COME AROUND
AND WIPE MY TEARS AWAY *

* YOU MAKE ME
WANT TO GIVE MY HEART AWAY *

* THE WAY YOU SPEAK,
IT LEAVES ME WITHOUT WORDS *

* AND WHEN YOU'RE GONE
IT MAKES ME TOSS AND TURN *

* YOU COME AROUND
AND MAKE SURE THAT IT HURTS *

* YOU MAKE SURE THAT IT HURTS
WHEN YOU'RE AWAY *

* HERE AMONG THE CLOUDS

* WE ARE SAFE AND SOUND

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU COME AROUND

* AND LIGHT UP EVERYTHING

* YOU STUN ME
WITH YOUR SMILE *

* AND ALL YOU BRING

* YOU COME AROUND

* AND MAKE ME WANT TO SING

* YOU MAKE ME WANT TO SING

* MY FEARS AWAY

* HERE AMONG THE CLOUDS

* WE ARE SAFE AND SOUND

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU LIFT ME UP

* YOU LIFT ME UP.