성매매
Korean
Etymology
Sino-Korean word from 性賣買 (“prostitution”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key)[ˈsʰɘːŋme̞me̞]
- Phonetic Hangul[성:매매]
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Noun
성매매 • (seongmaemae) (hanja 性賣買)
- prostitution
Usage notes
Similar to the U.S., where the terms 'prostitution' and 'sex trafficking' are used as if they were interchangeable, the Korean term 'seongmaemae' is, more often than not, used to describe exploitative situations in the sex industry, rather than consensual adult sex work.