Jeonju City Rebirths Seonmi Village as a Space Blooming with Culture, Arts, and Human Rights

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Gominhyeong] Jeonju City is making every effort to transform Sunmichon, a red-light district, into a complex space where culture, art, and human rights coexist.

On the 3rd, Jeonju City and the Sunmichon Redevelopment Public-Private Council held the ‘2020 Sunmichon Redevelopment Public-Private Council Regular Meeting and Project Sharing Session’ at the Gender Equality Jeonju Community Hall, attended by about 20 members including officials from women’s rights, arts, urban regeneration-related organizations, city council members, and neighborhood council chairpersons.

The city has designated this year as the inaugural year to end prostitution in Sunmichon, strengthening the roles of both public and private sectors, expanding cultural and artistic infrastructure, creating a cultural complex space where gender equality and human rights coexist, and accelerating the completion of the Sunmichon 2.0 project by expanding the resident community.

The city is currently carrying out infrastructure projects such as curving Gwonsamdeuk-ro, where Sunmichon is located, to induce slow vehicle movement and installing sidewalks to ensure pedestrian safety.

In addition, to improve the dark street environment, the city has completed the installation of streetlights, planting of street trees, relocation of utility poles, opening of small roads, installation of illegal parking enforcement cameras, installation of security CCTV, and establishment of community spaces to create a pleasant and safe living environment.

Furthermore, plans are underway to create communal spaces for residents, including the creation of Memory Alley, operation of a resident planning group, installation of small public parking lots, and operation of small libraries for vulnerable groups.

Chosunhee, the private committee chairperson of the Sunmichon Redevelopment Public-Private Council, said, “This year, under the goal of complete closure of the red-light district, the public and private sectors must cooperate and move forward,” adding, “For a new leap of the Seonosong Art Village, we will take new steps toward gender equality, art, and the restoration of the village community.”

Meanwhile, the number of prostitution establishments in Sunmichon, which reached 85 in the early 2000s, has now decreased to 15. In this space, ▲ Mulgyeol Seosa (Art Bookstore) ▲ City Garden (Village Garden) ▲ Gender Equality Jeonju Commons Field (Resident Cooperation Communication Space) ▲ Nosong News Museum (Village History Museum) have been established.