On Sunday, May 15th, dozens of prostitutes wearing white surgical masks and red caps held a three-hour protest in front of Times Square , a shopping mall in front of Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.
The opening of Times Square forced the closing of 30 brothels, so that only about 50 remain. The prostitutes criticized the looming possible closure of the remaining brothels. They also claimed that crackdowns only force the business underground, whereby exploitation becomes a more serious problem, and criticized efforts at rehabilitation by the government as half-hearted and inadequate. Last Wednesday [May 11th], they also held a press conference at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, asking for the abolishment or revision of the Act on the Prevention of the Sex Trade and Protection of its Victims, which reinforced penalties for prostitution.
A lot of Korean prostitutes choose to go abroad to work, where their human rights can be easily violated and they have to work without proper protection. Pimps in Cheongnyangni in the northeastern part of Seoul have clashed with police as they try to pick up customers in front of a major department store nearby. A decade ago, the price of real estate for 3. Now, it has soared to more than W million.
A story skyscraper and a sprawling apartment complex are scheduled to be built in the red light district area in Cheongnyangni, while 35 and story buildings will be built in Yongsan.
The red light district in front of Yongsan Station near central Seoul used to house around brothels, but only six or seven remain and even they will be shut down next month.
