Paju Prostitution District Owners and Workers Declare Permanent Cessation of Prostitution

Owners and workers of the "Daechubeol prostitution district" in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, formerly known as "Yongjugol," publicly declared today (3rd) that they will "no longer engage in prostitution" and permanently halt prostitution activities.

Some 20 owners and workers from the Daechubeol prostitution district in Yeonpung-ri, Paju-eup, held a press conference in front of Paju City Hall this morning, stating, "Starting today, we halt prostitution and publicly declare before citizens that we will never engage in prostitution again."

They stated, "There have been continuous efforts and consultations by relevant organizations, including the strong determination and efforts of former Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan, the Paju City Women and Family Division, the head of Paju-eup, the police, and women's organizations," adding, "Although there were many conflicts, we now wish to align ourselves with the intent of the policy to dismantle the prostitution district."

They added, "This is a decision made voluntarily by the parties involved to end a long-standing conflict," and "We will transition to legitimate livelihoods in the future and build a new village together with the residents."

At the same time, they drew a line by stating, "Currently, some owners are personally participating in the public forum preparation meetings, and we respect their opinions," while adding, "However, the participation of a few should not be broadly interpreted as the opinion of all Daechubeol owners, workers, and resident representatives."

Today's declaration of permanent cessation of prostitution comes as Paju City is proceeding with administrative procedures aimed at the complete dismantling of the Daechubeol prostitution district.

The city is moving forward with relevant administrative procedures, such as urban planning facilities and implementation plan authorizations for the area, based on the principle of dismantling the prostitution district.

In connection with this, owners and workers of the prostitution district officially submitted a coexistence plan to Paju City on the 24th of last month, which includes the declaration of permanent cessation of prostitution, a transition to legitimate livelihoods, and measures to revive the commercial district.

They demanded, "What is needed now is practical consultation for the livelihood transition of residents and the parties involved, as well as the normalization of the stagnant commercial district and village after prostitution disappears," and urged, "We ask the Paju Mayor to accept this voluntary decision of permanent cessation of prostitution as an achievement of the dismantling policy, review the submitted coexistence plan, and engage in direct dialogue with the residents and the parties involved."

They further emphasized, "Please completely eliminate prostitution while creating a new exemplary model of coexistence that revives the people, commercial district, and village together," adding, "This declaration is about the permanent cessation of prostitution acts and does not mean agreement to forced expropriation, a specific development method, or the forfeiture of property rights. Property rights and development methods should be discussed separately with actual stakeholders, such as residents, landowners, and building owners."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.