“Red House Becomes Clothing Store and Cafe”… Gangbuk-gu Achieves 100% Removal of Harmful Businesses Near Schools

Achieving Complete Zero (ZERO) of 180 Youth Harmful Businesses... Result of Persistent Efforts Over the Past 6 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) has successfully eliminated youth-harmful businesses operating around schools.

A total of 180 harmful businesses were removed, with 113 located in front of schools and 67 clustered along school routes. These areas include a 200-meter radius school sanitation zone and neighborhoods near residential areas. All these establishments either closed down or converted their businesses into general restaurants, convenience stores, clothing shops, pharmacies, coffee specialty shops, and more. This achievement is the result of Gangbuk-gu’s initiative since 2015, when it became the first local government nationwide to launch the ‘Campaign to Eradicate Youth-Harmful Businesses Around Schools.’

Youth-harmful businesses around schools had registered as general restaurants but actually operated in an unhealthy manner similar to entertainment bars. Known as “red houses” due to provocative signboards and dim red lighting, they posed a safety threat along school routes. Consequently, parents and students demanding improvements in the educational environment raised their voices strongly.

The eradication campaign began when Gangbuk-gu, the Education Support Office, and the police station joined forces for joint crackdowns. These institutions formed a working council and met at least once a week to conduct nighttime inspections. The district organized a dedicated team to carry out frequent inspections during weekdays and daytime. Each neighborhood established a promotion council and consistently displayed banners in front of stores indicating the expulsion of harmful businesses. Students, parents, and residents voluntarily engaged in district-wide campaigns and promotional activities.

When the entire community united, results quickly followed. Within just one year of launching the campaign, about 100 businesses closed. By the fourth year, 154 stores, accounting for 85.5% of the total, had disappeared from school vicinities.

The remaining 26 harmful businesses persisted until the end. The district did not give up and spent three years visiting building owners one by one to persuade them to convert their businesses. Overall, 44 of the closed businesses?about one in four?shut down after building owners were convinced. To prevent recurrence, the district plans to continue ongoing post-management.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “This achievement is the result of the combined efforts of local governments, related organizations, parents, and the entire community over the past five years,” adding, “It is a representative case showing how resident-participatory public policies based on change and communication can create great synergy.” He continued, “We will continue efforts to create a safe and clean educational environment so that students can attend school with peace of mind.”