{"id":2205113,"date":"2024-05-15T16:27:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T07:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205113"},"modified":"2024-05-16T20:39:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T11:39:51","slug":"inside-yongjugol-the-uncertain-future-of-a-south-korean-red-light-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/05\/inside-yongjugol-the-uncertain-future-of-a-south-korean-red-light-district\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Yongjugol: The uncertain future of a South Korean red-light district"},"content":{"rendered":"

When A, a sex worker who wishes to remain anonymous, first arrived in Yongjugol at age 27, she found herself in one of South Korea\u2019s most well-known red-light districts. Located in Paju, a city just an hour north of Seoul, the area has served as a center for sex workers for decades. And for A, Yongjugol means home.<\/span><\/p>\n

A is one of a few dozen women who work in the brothels of Yongjugol. She says no one forced her to work there, and she enjoys living in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Paju City officials are now keen to level the red light district. One expert said this move demonstrates South Korea\u2019s contradictory approach to prostitution, which criminalizes yet regulates the industry, leading to the stigmatization and marginalization of female sex workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

An empty brothel in the red-light district of Yongjugol, May 7, 2024 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

CLASHING PERSPECTIVES<\/b><\/p>\n

Yongjugol, once a thriving \u201ccamptown\u201d near the now-closed U.S. military base Camp Ross, has lost its luster. The red-light district, which used to bustle with hundreds of sex workers, now features more \u201cfor rent\u201d signs than customers. Paju City has already shut down several brothels, and the remaining ones face an uncertain future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeon Jeong-go, a Paju City official, eagerly anticipates the closure of the red-light district. He led an \u201ceducational walk\u201d through Yongjugol on May 7, joined by over 100 citizens wearing purple vests with slogans demanding the district\u2019s shutdown.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city hopes to redevelop the area, replacing the brothels with a high-rise apartment complex, a move supported by local landowners.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the city\u2019s efforts have met resistance from activists who support sex workers. They staged a counter-protest during the city\u2019s march, pleading with officials and civilians to listen to their stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are workers here who grew up in orphanages and those raising children,\u201d they cried \u2014 but their pleas fell on mostly deaf ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

The debate over Yongjugol highlights South Korea\u2019s contradictory stance on prostitution. Despite being illegal under the 2004 Special Act on Prostitution, the practice remains widespread.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019, <\/span>42%<\/span><\/a> of South Korean men between 20 and 60 admitted to paying for sex at least once, a figure significantly higher than in Germany (<\/span>26%<\/span><\/a>) and the U.K. (<\/span>11%<\/span><\/a>). Sex workers and activists argue that the government conveniently uses the illegal status of the profession to justify crackdowns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeoreum, a sex worker and founder of the advocacy group Sex Worker Liberation Action Movement Scarlet ChaCha, pointed out the hypocrisy in the government’s actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe sex workers living in Yongjugol are also Paju citizens,\u201d she told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> at the counter-protest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe South Korean government has regulated Yongjugol, allowing it to grow to its current size. No one is talking about that. And now suddenly, they say the red-light district should be destroyed because it is illegal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeoreum and her fellow advocates remain determined to fight for Yongjugol. \u201cAs we fight together, eat together and talk together, I came to know who I\u2019m fighting for,” she said. “I understand what I\u2019m fighting for, and I won\u2019t stop until the city gives up trying to shut down Yongjugol.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

An empty brothel in Yongjugol with ‘for rent’ notes posted on the windows , May 7, 2024| Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

DEMOLITION AND SURVEILLANCE<\/b><\/p>\n

Paju City <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a> in a press release its efforts to shut down Yongjugol aim to make the city \u201cwomen-friendly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Sealing Cheng, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who has researched the history of sex work in South Korea, finds the sudden destruction of decades-old red-light districts under the pretext of caring for women\u2019s rights and clamping down on illegal activities all too familiar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the name of urban redevelopment and moral cleansing of the city, red-light districts are being demolished,\u201d Cheng told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. She added that red-light districts like Yongjugol \u201chave been caught at the intersection of neoliberalism and anti-trafficking efforts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheng cited the now-demolished red-light district near Seoul\u2019s Yongsan Station, which was leveled to make space for urban redevelopment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe burden of illegalization of sex work has largely fallen on the female sex workers \u2014 criminalized, stigmatized and marginalized,\u201d Cheng concluded.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city has already begun to incrementally demolish parts of Yongjugol. Local authorities also recently installed CCTV cameras throughout the red-light district, sparking a standoff between sex workers and city officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

As city employees attempted to install the cameras <\/span>earlier this year<\/span><\/a>, sex workers climbed onto the poles to prevent them from doing so. The CCTV cameras particularly concern the sex workers, who claim the cameras scare away customers and invade their privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInstalling CCTV cameras within the neighborhood is the first step in shutting down places like brothels,\u201d A explained. \u201cThese cameras monitor people entering and leaving and the movements of the girls, mainly for surveillance and law enforcement purposes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo us, it\u2019s a violation of our privacy,\u201d A continued. \u201cOutsiders may see this place as just a brothel, but for us, it\u2019s our workplace and our home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A ‘no pictures’ sign posted near the entrance of a brothel in Yongjugol, May 7, 2024 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

ASSISTANCE WITH STRINGS ATTACHED<\/b><\/p>\n

Jeon, the Paju City official, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that the city has offered sex workers a program to help them leave prostitution in exchange for financial support. However, this requires the women of Yongjugol to register as \u201cvictims of sex trafficking,\u201d even if they don\u2019t consider themselves as such.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I accept the city\u2019s terms and label myself as a victim of sex trafficking, I would have to falsely accuse the brothel owners, who are like family to me, of crimes they didn\u2019t commit,\u201d A said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She expressed gratitude toward the people at Yongjugol, including her landlords. As the oldest daughter of a small-town family, A turned to sex work due to student loan debts. When doctors diagnosed her father with cancer, the job helped her pay off hospital bills.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have comprehensive insurance, so the medical and caregiving costs were overwhelming, pushing my family into debt,\u201d A shared. \u201cWith the money I earned, I hired a caregiver for my dad and split my time between work and daily hospital visits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, I paid off most of the medical bills and surgery costs,\u201d she said. Now, at 43, A still works at Yongjugol, a place she calls home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI live here with my friends. We eat together, we work together. I\u2019m happy here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite some sex workers insisting that they are not victims and that they desire to continue working, Jeon, the Paju city official, held firm in his position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are willing to have a dialogue with victims of prostitution,\u201d he told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>, \u201cbut not if they persist in expressing their intent to engage in illegal activities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He portrayed the city\u2019s offer of vocational training and limited financial support as a generous gesture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A, on the other hand, vehemently disagreed, stating that the offer not only ignored the sex workers\u2019 viewpoints but also fell short of providing adequate assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ordinance dictates that to receive this financial support, we must leave sex work entirely. If we are discovered to be engaging in sex work while accepting these funds, we are required to pay back the money, either in part or in full,\u201d A said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, some of us are single mothers who are already receiving single-parent benefits. If we accept the ordinance support, we forfeit our eligibility for those benefits,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also pointed out that the government\u2019s existing <\/span>National Tomorrow Learning Card program<\/span><\/a>, an initiative by the Ministry of Employment and Labor that offers complimentary vocational training to unemployed individuals, renders the city\u2019s proposed support redundant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Paju City marked a building with a blue cover to indicate they bought up the unit and will build a cultural center inside the former brothel, May 7, 2024 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

UNCERTAIN FUTURE<\/b><\/p>\n

A worries that the closure of Yongjugol will force her and her colleagues to relocate to \u201cmore dangerous locations, such as officetels\u201d \u2014 multipurpose buildings that combine residential and office spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unassuming privacy that officetels provide also makes it more challenging for law enforcement to keep track of illegal activities that take place there.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, A explained that a red-light district like Yongjugol provides a communal safety net and a sense of security through mutual care and vigilance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeon of Paju City brushed off these concerns. \u201cThese claims about the dangers of closing down red-light districts often lack concrete evidence of where people are actually relocating,\u201d he asserted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey seem more like tactics to obstruct the shutdown process. Nationwide enforcement cases show that prostitution in officetels and similar locations has been widespread long before any shutdowns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

More than anything, A is asking for a little more time. \u201cWe know this place will eventually disappear, and we\u2019re not saying we won\u2019t ever leave,\u201d she said. \u201cBut many of the women here don\u2019t have much education and are in their 40s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to support a family, especially when raising children, on minimum wage is practically impossible,\u201d A added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need time to find new jobs and start over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lina Park contributed reporting to this report. Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When A, a sex worker who wishes to remain anonymous, first arrived in Yongjugol at age 27, she found herself in one of South Korea\u2019s most well-known red-light districts. Located in Paju, a city just an hour north of Seoul, the area has served as a center for sex workers for decades. And for A, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8392,"featured_media":2205120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2205113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis"],"yoast_head":"\nInside Yongjugol: The uncertain future of a South Korean red-light district - Korea Pro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/05\/inside-yongjugol-the-uncertain-future-of-a-south-korean-red-light-district\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside Yongjugol: The uncertain future of a South Korean red-light district - Korea Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When A, a sex worker who wishes to remain anonymous, first arrived in Yongjugol at age 27, she found herself in one of South Korea\u2019s most well-known red-light districts. 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