Yongjugol
Yongjugol
용주골 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates: 37°49′45″N 126°50′24″E / 37.82917°N 126.84000°E | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Province | Gyeonggi Province |
| City | Paju |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (Korea Standard Time) |
Yongjugol (Korean: 용주골; sometimes Yong Ju Gol, Yongju-gol, or Yongju-Gol) is a red-light district in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.[1]
The area first received its reputation around the time of the 1950–1953 Korean War, when it emerged as a kijichon (military base camp town). The practice persisted in the area, despite increasing persecution by the government. As of the early 2020s, the city government has been making vigorous efforts to finally close the district.
History
[edit]Yongjugol began as a village that came into being during the Korean War to service members of the United States Army stationed at a nearby military camp whose spending was the sole source of revenue for the village.[2] The military camp, Camp Ross, was just south of Yongjugol and separated the village from Seoul.[3][self-published source] Once the post-war repatriation of prisoners concluded and until 1955, the 24th Military Police Company[4] (seemingly the divisional MP company of the 24th Infantry Division) worked with other United Nations Command military police in Yongjugol to keep law and order in the area. In 1966, a museum dedicated to the 2nd Infantry Division was opened near Yongjugol, having been relocated there from Fort Benning, Georgia, United States. However, the museum was moved to Camp Casey five years later.[5] In 1980, American soldier Freddie Grant attacked another American soldier with a straight razor outside a Yongjugol nightclub and was subsequently imprisoned in the United States Disciplinary Barracks.[6]
Although it is illegal to engage in prostitution in South Korea, women continue to engage in sex work in Yongjugol through massage parlors, karaoke bars, and kissing rooms.[7] In 2006, South Korea's Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jang Ha-jin called Yongjugol "the heart of prostitution" in Korea.[8]
In 2022, the city allocated a budget for assisting former sex workers, with eligibility of up to two years of benefits. This was part of an overall effort to put an end to sex work in the area, especially as it was the last red-light district in the city. In September 2023, it was reported that the city was deep in the process of ending the district, with dozens of buildings manually inspected, orders to demolish buildings issued, and legal cases filed. By this point, it was reported that there were still around 50 brothels and 200 workers in the area.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Lee Tae-hoon (February 20, 2012). "Business booms for illegal brothels on South Korea border". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ^ Margaret E. Scraonton (2000). Orlando J. Pérez (ed.). "Electoral Reform and the Institutionalization of the Electoral Tribunal in Post-Invasion Panama". Post-Invasion Panama: The Challenges of Democratization in the New World Order. Rowman & Littlefield: 103. ISBN 073910120X.
- ^ Julio A. Martinez (2011). A Young Soldier's Memoirs: My One Year Growing Up in 1965 Korea. Xlibris. p. 239. ISBN 978-1453523872.
- ^ Robert L. Gunnarsson (2011). American Military Police in Europe, 1945-1991: Unit Histories. McFarland & Company. p. 35. ISBN 978-0786439751.
- ^ R. Cody Phillips (1992). Guide to U.S. Army Museums. Diane Publishing. pp. 95–96. ISBN 0788146718.
- ^ Noelle Phillips (November 9, 2012). "Richland County kidnapping suspect booted from military after cutting, kidnapping fellow soldiers". The State. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ^ Dylan Goldby; Daniel Sanchez; Matthew Lamers (March 20, 2012). "Girls Are Not For Sale". Groove Korea. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ^ Moon Kyung-ran (December 27, 2006). "Aide runs up white flag in red-light controversy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "수도권 유일 성매매집결지 '파주 용주골' 연내 폐쇄 차질". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-30.