Daejeon Station Area Red-Light District 'Into the Back Alleys of History'

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[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The red-light district near Daejeon Station is set to disappear into the annals of history. This space will be transformed into a citizen communication hub in the future.

Daejeon City announced on the 7th that it has established and will implement a "Women's Human Rights Policy Promotion Plan" with this content.

The promotion plan focuses on closing the red-light district in Jungang-dong to break the chain of sexual exploitation of women involved in prostitution and transforming the existing red-light district into a communication hub for citizens.

Earlier, the city conducted a field survey of the area from March to October last year. The survey results estimate that there are currently a total of 101 prostitution establishments operating near Daejeon Station in Jungang-dong, with about 150 women working there.

The problem is that women working in prostitution in this area suffer from verbal abuse and physical violence, yet find it difficult to receive help due to economic issues and interference from business owners in police reporting.

Accordingly, the city plans to draw a blueprint to lead changes in the Jungang-dong area in connection with the Daejeon Station urban regeneration New Deal project, which will be fully implemented starting this year.

This urban regeneration New Deal project in the area will be carried out mainly through the improvement of shantytowns, the establishment of public housing districts, and urban regeneration infrastructure. The city’s plan is to establish and promote a five-year plan to close the red-light district as part of this.

First, the city plans to build gender governance as a channel for sharing ideas and communication through cooperation among the private sector, local governments, and police, holding quarterly solidarity meetings starting this month.

Also, to realize sustainable women's human rights policies, by July this year, a community space for women's human rights organizations in Jungang-dong will be established and used as a base for women's human rights policies and anti-prostitution efforts.

In particular, the city will implement policies directly supporting the self-reliance of women who have left prostitution to resolve the economic problems faced by women engaged in prostitution, as identified in the field survey.

The city plans to enact an ordinance supporting living expenses, housing support, and vocational training costs for women who have left prostitution, and based on this ordinance, will promote practical support projects starting next year.

Furthermore, spaces and programs for vulnerable groups created through the urban regeneration New Deal project will be developed from a gender-sensitive perspective to provide practical help to residents, with continuous organic cooperation with the relevant departments.

Kim Kyung-hee, the city’s Gender Policy Officer, said, “The red-light district is a symbol of the violation of women’s human rights and a place where scars remain that are not easily erased. The city will take social responsibility and work to close the red-light district and achieve urban development from a women-friendly perspective.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.