Paju City Selected for 'Gyeonggi Life SOC Return Project' Competition, Secures 16 Billion KRW in Provincial Funding

Red-Light District Returns to the Community

Paju City announced on the 18th that it has been finally selected for Gyeonggi Province's 'Gyeonggi Life SOC Return Project' competition, securing 16 billion KRW in provincial funds to promote a spatial transformation project for the red-light district.

Paju City has been finally selected in the Gyeonggi Province's 'Gyeonggi Life SOC Redistribution Project' contest and secured 16 billion KRW in provincial funding to promote the conversion of the sex trade zone space. Photo by Paju City

The 'Gyeonggi Life SOC Return Project' is designed to return the benefits generated by public development to residents of the province. Its goal is to create essential, community-centered facilities that support everyday life, such as sports, culture, childcare, welfare, and transportation infrastructure.

The target area for this project is the red-light district of Yeonpung-ri in Paju-eup (commonly known as Yongjugol), a space that, over its 70-year history as a former military camp town, has been associated with ongoing prostitution and has come to symbolize both illegal activity and the violation of women’s rights.

Since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration in 2023, the city has prioritized the cleanup of the red-light district as its first official approval, consistently implementing policies to eradicate illegal prostitution and restore women's rights. In addition, through citizen education, public forums, and on-site promotional activities, social consensus has grown, with public approval for closing the area rising significantly from 62.5% in 2023 to 84.5% in 2024. The city also conducted a total of 14 compulsory administrative enforcement actions, focusing on the removal of illegal structures and substantially reducing the size of the red-light district.

Furthermore, the city has expanded support programs for victims of prostitution, including the opening of the only rehabilitation support center for prostitution victims in northern Gyeonggi Province, and has implemented policies to help women exit prostitution and achieve independence. These efforts have established a policy model that takes responsibility for “life after closure.”

Building on these achievements, Paju City plans to fundamentally change the meaning of the area, transforming it into a space for the restoration of daily life for citizens. In this latest competition, the city proposed the development of a complex community facility—including a family center—which was recognized for aligning with the project’s purpose and the effectiveness of its policies.

The city’s plan goes beyond simple demolition or physical maintenance, aiming to fundamentally transform the value of urban space by creating public facilities that foster everyday life and community recovery.

Paju City has been finally selected in Gyeonggi Province's 'Gyeonggi Living SOC Return Project' contest and secured 16 billion won in provincial funds to promote the spatial conversion project of the red-light district. Photo by Paju City

Once the first phase of this spatial transformation project is complete, the red-light district will be reborn as a community hub accessible to families and all citizens. In particular, the creation of a multifunctional facility combining cultural, care, and educational functions is expected to not only help restore the local community, but also significantly contribute to balanced urban development and the expansion of essential living infrastructure.

A Paju City official stated, "This selection in the competition is a meaningful achievement that recognizes Paju City's policy direction to transform the red-light district into a space for restoring citizens’ lives. By reflecting on the painful memories of the past, we will create a new hub for everyday culture that is open to everyone, making this a place of renewal and transformation, and building new future value for the city."

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