{"id":2206996,"date":"2024-10-31T17:57:36","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T08:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2206996"},"modified":"2024-11-01T17:00:58","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T08:00:58","slug":"preserve-or-destroy-roks-last-venereal-disease-detention-center-sparks-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/10\/preserve-or-destroy-roks-last-venereal-disease-detention-center-sparks-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Preserve or destroy: ROK\u2019s last venereal disease detention center sparks debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

A two-story concrete building sits fenced off beside Dongducheon\u2019s Soyo Mountain entrance, partially obscured by barbed wire and overgrown vegetation. Peeling paint and collapsing ceilings reveal its age, and graffiti marks its walls.<\/span><\/p>\n

To most visitors, the site is little more than a derelict structure, abandoned since 1996. However, for over two decades starting in 1973, this building served as a Venereal Disease (VD) Detention Center for comfort women.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the term usually refers to women coerced into sex work for the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, the comfort women who were housed at this VD Detention Center were women who contracted sexually transmitted infections <\/span>after serving U.S. soldiers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ROK government, with support from the United States Forces Korea, established this and similar centers as part of a <\/span>\u201cclean-up\u201d campaign<\/span><\/a> aimed at regulating health standards around U.S. military bases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, this abandoned detention center is the only one remaining in South Korea, and plans to demolish it and redevelop the area have led to a pressing debate among local activists, city officials and residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Activists argue that preserving it as a peace museum could foster historical education and acknowledgment of a painful chapter in U.S.-ROK relations but officials and residents argue that demolishing the site is the first step toward economic revitalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CIVIC CONCERNS<\/b><\/p>\n

Dongducheon <\/span>purchased<\/span><\/a> the land from a private educational corporation, Shinheung Academy, in February 2023, which sparked immediate calls from women\u2019s groups and civic organizations to preserve the structure. By Aug. 2024, however, the city council had <\/span>allocated funds for its demolition<\/span><\/a>, intensifying the conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n

Activists argue that demolition would erase significant history and prevent South Korea from fully addressing its past mistakes. They view preservation as essential for a complete reckoning with the past and a tribute to those who suffered systemic neglect and exploitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stakes have risen as activists mobilize civil society groups, reaching beyond local boundaries to involve provincial lawmakers and representatives from the central government. Since Chuseok \u2014 South Korea\u2019s mid-autumn harvest festival \u2014 activists have <\/span>camped<\/span><\/a> near the building to prevent its demolition, clashing with local business owners who, alongside contracted demolition crews, seek economic revival.<\/span><\/p>\n

For activists, the debate is not just about preserving a single building; it reflects unresolved national discussions on South Korea\u2019s alliance with the U.S., social justice and historical responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Banners hung by local business interests favoring demolition of the former VD Detention Center at the entrance of Soyo Mountain, Oct. 13, 2023 | Image: Jack Greenberg<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION EFFORTS<\/b><\/p>\n

Dongducheon\u2019s economic challenges have compounded since the early 2000s, as the gradual relocation of U.S. troops weakened the city\u2019s economy. With an unemployment rate of <\/span>5.1%<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the highest in South Korea as of mid-2024 \u2014 and a declining population, the city has struggled to attract investment or sustained tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some residents argue that demolition of the VD Detention Center could aid economic recovery by opening up space for a hotel or tourist attraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Local business owners near Soyo Mountain, whose livelihoods have been impacted by economic stagnation and COVID-19, support the demolition, viewing it as a necessary step toward revitalizing the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Restaurant owner Kim Mi-ok expressed frustration over previous, unproductive revitalization projects initiated without community input, saying at this point, she would rather sell her property and leave. Many of these owners argue that without clear direction, municipal development has stalled, further emphasizing the need for decisive action to spur growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, activists counter that preserving the detention center could attract tourists interested in historical and educational sites, potentially bringing new economic value to the area. They argue that memorializing the building could broaden the city\u2019s appeal, creating a unique cultural attraction and bolstering Dongducheon\u2019s long-term development strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

HISTORICAL MEMORY<\/b><\/p>\n

The dispute over the VD Detention Center resonates beyond Dongducheon, touching on broader issues of historical accountability and U.S.-ROK relations.<\/span><\/p>\n

For decades, many South Koreans have drawn a stark line between the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery and the women in camptown sex work for U.S. troops. While the former are widely regarded as victims of forced sexual servitude, camptown women are often perceived differently, facing stigmatization and accusations of having entered the trade voluntarily.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the 2022 South Korean Supreme Court <\/span>ruling<\/span><\/a> recognized the state\u2019s responsibility in violating camptown women\u2019s human rights, legitimizing activists\u2019 calls for a more nuanced approach to this chapter of Korean history.<\/span><\/p>\n

Park Jeong-mi, an associate professor of sociology at Chungbuk University, who testified as an expert in the case, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that the government prioritized health control measures over the welfare of the women detained, using penicillin for treatment despite potential fatal allergic reactions. Aware of the risks, the government gave hesitant doctors <\/span>blanket immunity<\/span><\/a> in cases where comfort women died from anaphylaxis.<\/span><\/p>\n

This judicial acknowledgment underscores the complexities involved in reckoning with the country\u2019s past relationship with the U.S., and many people may be unaware of this chapter of shared U.S.-ROK history.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katharine Moon, a professor emerita of Asian studies and political science at Wellesley College, \u00a0 noted that the debate represents a shift in public attitudes toward such sites, which some communities previously sought to dismantle to avoid perceived stigma.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Moon, activists\u2019 preservation campaign is more about \u201cnational history writing [and] keeping alive more permanently the ugly parts of history that people shunned for decades.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Banners hung by local business interests favoring demolition of the former VD Detention Center at the entrance of Soyo Mountain, Oct. 13, 2023 | Image: Jack Greenberg<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

PRESERVATION FOR HISTORICAL EDUCATION<\/b><\/p>\n

Activists argue that the VD Detention Center could serve as a platform for broader historical awareness, proposing a transformation into a peace museum with exhibits and educational programs to engage the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim Eun-jin, managing director of Durebang, a support group for former camptown women, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that preserving sites like the VD Detention Center is crucial to connecting younger generations with historical truths, fostering empathy and addressing lingering antipathy toward comfort women for the U.S. military.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, redevelopment has already displaced many such historical sites, including unmarked graves where many comfort women who served the U.S. military are buried in Dongducheon\u2019s Sangpae neighborhood, further intensifying the sense of urgency among activists.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city\u2019s redevelopment plan risks undermining South Korea\u2019s opportunity to openly engage with its history beyond the Japanese colonial experience, by acknowledging domestic responsibility in past exploitation, according to activists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Park noted that discomfort surrounding camptown comfort women stems from a reluctance to associate them with wartime comfort women, reflecting societal resistance to reconcile these two groups\u2019 shared experiences of marginalization and exploitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey regard comfort women for the Japanese military as \u2018pure victims\u2019 who were directly abducted by the Japanese military and compelled to engage in prostitution [whereas] they think comfort women for the U.S. military were \u2018voluntary\u2019 prostitutes who deserved their own victimization. They don\u2019t want the two groups to be confused,\u201d Park said.<\/span><\/p>\n

CALLS FOR TRANSPARENCY<\/b><\/p>\n

Dongducheon\u2019s approach to urban regeneration has drawn criticism for its lack of transparent consultation with stakeholders. Activists accuse city officials of imposing redevelopment plans unilaterally, sidelining the concerns of those advocating for historical preservation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim of Durebang argued that urban development should integrate stories of the past rather than erase them, calling for public forums that allow residents to collectively weigh the value of preservation versus redevelopment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics have further <\/span>alleged<\/span><\/a> that city officials have stirred public sentiment in favor of demolition, leading to heightened tensions and eroding public trust in local governance. Civic groups point to a recent <\/span>op-ed<\/span><\/a> by the city\u2019s Director of Economic and Cultural Affairs for allegedly encouraging demolition, a stance activists claim undermines the neutrality expected of public officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Hikers pass behind a banner that opposes the preservation of the former VD Detention Center at the entrance to Soyo Mountain, Oct. 13, 2023 | Image: Jack Greenberg<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

PROSPECTS FOR RESOLUTION<\/b><\/p>\n

The dispute over the VD Detention Center highlights the challenges South Korean municipalities face in balancing redevelopment with historical preservation, especially when national memory and diplomatic relations are involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dongducheon officials remain caught between competing interests \u2014 activists demanding preservation as a form of redress and historical accountability, and residents who see economic redevelopment as a path toward revitalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Gyeonggi Peace Citizen\u2019s Action co-representative Kim Dae-yong suggested that discussion could offer a potential solution, arguing that the community should collectively decide on the building\u2019s future after considering all perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSolving this issue must be done through dialogue,\u201d he told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cIf a majority of citizens still want demolition after all sides have been presented, then [activists] will listen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As South Korea continues to navigate these sensitive aspects of its past, the outcome in Dongducheon may set a precedent for how other cities manage contested historical sites, offering either a path toward transparent, inclusive policymaking or, alternatively, a cautionary example of deepened community divides.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Culture & Society<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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