Suwon Station Prostitution Venue Building Reborn as a 'Cultural Space'

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun attended the opening ceremony of the cultural space "Memory Space It-da" at Suwon Station on the 22nd and wrote a message in Exhibition Room 1.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] An old building that used to be a sex work establishment near Suwon Station in Gyeonggi-do has been reborn as a cultural space through remodeling.

On the 22nd, Suwon City held an opening ceremony for the cultural space "Memory Space It-da," created by renovating the former sex work establishment building on Deokyeong-daero 895beon-gil, Paldal-gu, and announced the opening of its first planned exhibition, "Connecting the Memories of the Gathering Place, the Future of the City."

Earlier, last year, Suwon City opened a 6-meter-wide, 163-meter-long fire road crossing the center of the former Suwon Station sex work district and remodeled the remaining sex work establishment buildings within the road construction area to create "Memory Space It-da."

The building has a total floor area of 84.23㎡ and is a single-story structure designed as an exhibition and community space.

The name "Memory Space It-da" reflects Suwon City's explanation that it aims to transform the Suwon Station sex work district, which had been completely isolated from the world for over 60 years, into a space connected with citizens, linking the dark past with a bright future.

Suwon City will hold the first planned exhibition, "Connecting the Memories of the Gathering Place, the Future of the City," from the 22nd of this month until October 21.

Hosted by Suwon City and organized by the nonprofit organization Women’s Movement Dodeum, this exhibition consists of five themes: ▲ "The Modern City Suwon and the Evolution of Suwon Station Sex Work District" showing the formation and changes of the district from 1900 to 2022 ▲ The closure and transformation of the Suwon Station sex work district ▲ People who remember the sex work district ▲ Records toward the future ▲ Ways to connect memories together.

The exhibition is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon said, "'Memory Space It-da' is hoped to become a symbol of a gender-equal city Suwon, a cultural hub for local residents, and a comfortable neighborhood gathering place," adding, "With the establishment of this cultural space, the former Suwon Station sex work district area is expected to transform into a street for citizens and a street rich in culture."

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