Mayor Kim Kyung-il: "Sex Trade Districts Must Be Eliminated as Spaces of Human Rights Violations and Exploitation"

Paju City Launches First 'Travel Road' of the Year Toward Closing Prostitution District
Continuing Efforts to Build Public Consensus for a 'Path Where Women and Citizens Are Happy' and the Closure of the Prostitution District

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 6th that on the 4th, it conducted the first ‘Travel Road (A Path Where Women and Citizens Are Happy)’ education of the year at the closure base facility of the prostitution district, attended by about 30 members of the local children's center association.

Paju City held the first "Travel Road (A Path Where Women and Citizens Are Happy)" education session of the year on the 4th at the closed red-light district hub facility, with about 30 members of the Local Children's Center Council in attendance. Photo by Paju City

The ‘Travel Road’ education is a prostitution eradication and awareness improvement program held every Tuesday. Along with prostitution prevention education, participants tour the closure base facility of the prostitution district to build consensus on the necessity of closing the prostitution district and aim to spread a culture of gender equality. This program has been continuously operated since 2023.

From March to December last year, a total of 28 sessions of Travel Road education were held, with about 1,600 participants showing strong public interest in the closure of the district. Especially this year, the education took place at the base facility established by Paju City within the prostitution district, allowing participating citizens to experience more vivid on-site education.

A citizen who participated in the education said, “It may be considered just a long-standing reality for adults, but for children, this place might be their only world,” adding, “The local community and citizens must work together so that our children no longer lose their place to go.”

Mayor Kim Kyung-il of Paju City said, “Social consensus on the closure of the prostitution district is rapidly spreading,” and added, “We must eliminate spaces of human rights violations, violence, and exploitation, and I hope citizens will unite so that our neighbors and children can enjoy a better life.”

Paju City plans to further strengthen policies for the closure of the prostitution district by operating a public-private monitoring team to block sex buyers and resuming ‘Owl Activities’ on the 21st.