Paju City Continues "Owl Activity" Despite Severe Cold, Accelerates Closure of Red-Light District

Paju City Steps Up Efforts to Block Late-Night Sex Buyers
Citizens and Public Officials Continue Nighttime Field Activities

Paju City, which is working to close down its red-light district, is expected to continue its "Owl Activity" campaign this year, in collaboration with citizens, to block the influx of sex buyers during late-night hours.

Paju City began its first owl activity of the year on the 5th amid the severe cold wave. Photo by Paju City

On January 5, amid a severe cold wave, Paju City launched its first Owl Activity of the year, demonstrating its strong commitment to the complete closure of the red-light district.

The Owl Activity, which has been sustained through the voluntary participation of citizens and public officials, is expected to continue every night from Tuesday to Saturday throughout this year.

This year, the Paju Police Station's Mobile Patrol Unit and the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency's Mobile Unit have begun full-scale day and night patrols, further strengthening the public-private cooperation system for shutting down the red-light district.

Through these efforts, the city aims to preemptively block the influx of sex buyers, suppress the business activities of the remaining sex trade establishments in the area, transform the district into a gender-equal and women-friendly space, and ultimately return it as an open area accessible to all Paju citizens.

Previously, on December 16, Paju City officially announced its plans for utilizing the area following the closure of the red-light district at the "Red-Light District Spatial Conversion Vision Declaration Ceremony." The city intends not only to make a declaration but also to steadily establish the foundation for spatial conversion by continuously and actively blocking sex buyers on the ground.

A Paju City official stated, "The Owl Activity is a history created together by citizens and public officials with the goal of closing the red-light district," adding, "We will continue to work closely with the police and related organizations to block the influx of sex buyers and to complete the closure of the red-light district."