U.S. General Cracks Down on South Korean ‘Juicy Bars’ Linked to Human Trafficking

The commander of U.S. troops in South Korea has thrown down an order to all military personnel: no more “juicy bars.”

The bars sell overpriced juice often exchanged for the companionship of young women, who might have been illegally brought into the country and held against their will after owners strip away their visas, officials say.

“They are subjected to debt bondage and made to sell themselves as companions, or forced into prostitution,” Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti wrote in an Oct. 15 memo. “The governments of the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the Republic of the Philippines have linked these practices with prostitution and human trafficking.”

Scaparrotti said military personnel will now be barred from providing “money or anything of value” in exchange for an employee’s “companionship.”

“This includes paying a fee to play darts, pool, or to engage in other entertainment with an employee, or buying a drink or souvenir in exchange for an employee’s company,” he wrote. Troops who fail to comply with the new rules may be subject to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Military Times notes that the crackdown on “juicy bars” follows a similar move announced last year by Air Force Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas for a base outside Osan Air Base, south of Seoul.