The Korean Council visited the former STD management center in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do to support efforts to prevent its demolition.
The Dongducheon STD management center was established in 1973 to manage sexually transmitted diseases among women involved in prostitution in US military camptowns, and it was closed in March 1996, leaving only the building remaining.
In an effort to earn foreign currency, the government at the time encouraged women to engage in prostitution near U.S. military bases and turned a blind eye to the violence and abuse against them. By the 1980s, the management system shifted, requiring women to be employed in clubs within the camptowns and issuing them health certificates, further revealing the government's view of these women not as patients, but as tools.
We also walked through Bosan-dong, where in October 1992, Kenneth Markle, a U.S. soldier, brutally murdered Ms. Yun Geum-i. This case significantly shifted public perception of U.S. military crimes in Korea and led to active civic responses against such crimes.
The unmarked cemetery in Sangpae-dong stands as a stark reminder of the many women who perished under the continuous violence, abuse, forced pregnancies, and abortions that were part of their lives in the military camptowns. Officially, there are 1,050 graves, but it is estimated that there may be 2,000 to 3,000 graves due to the high number of deaths.
We also visited the monument for the U.S. military land return movement and the Statue of Peace in Dongducheon, spaces that reflect the time and solidarity built by citizens.
This day vividly reminded us of the importance of preserving Dongducheon, the STD management center, and all these spaces. The government and local authorities are attempting to erase this history, deeming it "shameful." However, the more they try to erase it, the more we must come together to remember and protect these places.
The Korean Council visited the former STD management center in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do to support efforts to prevent its demolition.
The Dongducheon STD management center was established in 1973 to manage sexually transmitted diseases among women involved in prostitution in US military camptowns, and it was closed in March 1996, leaving only the building remaining.
In an effort to earn foreign currency, the government at the time encouraged women to engage in prostitution near U.S. military bases and turned a blind eye to the violence and abuse against them. By the 1980s, the management system shifted, requiring women to be employed in clubs within the camptowns and issuing them health certificates, further revealing the government's view of these women not as patients, but as tools.
We also walked through Bosan-dong, where in October 1992, Kenneth Markle, a U.S. soldier, brutally murdered Ms. Yun Geum-i. This case significantly shifted public perception of U.S. military crimes in Korea and led to active civic responses against such crimes.
The unmarked cemetery in Sangpae-dong stands as a stark reminder of the many women who perished under the continuous violence, abuse, forced pregnancies, and abortions that were part of their lives in the military camptowns. Officially, there are 1,050 graves, but it is estimated that there may be 2,000 to 3,000 graves due to the high number of deaths.
We also visited the monument for the U.S. military land return movement and the Statue of Peace in Dongducheon, spaces that reflect the time and solidarity built by citizens.
This day vividly reminded us of the importance of preserving Dongducheon, the STD management center, and all these spaces. The government and local authorities are attempting to erase this history, deeming it "shameful." However, the more they try to erase it, the more we must come together to remember and protect these places.