On Friday, May 16, 2025, at 10 AM, the Korean Council participated in a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall calling on the Seoul Metropolitan Government to provide support measures for women in the "Mia-ri District", which is a "Prostitution District"1. As the demolition schedule for the area becomes more concrete, the city government must take responsible action.
Once known as "Mia-ri Texas," the Mia-ri District was the largest area of its kind in South Korea, with over 360 establishments and 3,000 women residents there in the early 2000s. Currently, about 50 establishments remain, with around 200 women still resident in the area. Due to the redevelopment of Sin-Wolgok District 1, demolition of the area is scheduled to begin in July 2025. However, no substantial support measures for the women have been prepared. Meanwhile, owners and landlords who profited for years from exploitation are now receiving redevelopment compensation, potentially gaining further financial benefits. Most women in the area do not have official residential or income records, excluding them from compensation related to the demolition.
Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government Seongbuk-gu Ordinance on the Prevention of Commercial Sex and Support for the Rehabilitation of Victims (established in 2017) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance of Prevention on Violation Agasint Women and Protection and Support of Victims (amended in 2020) provide a legal basis for supporting victims of commercial sex, no budget has ever been allocated to implement these ordinances. As a result, they remain nominal without substance and ineffective. The government and the city of Seoul must move beyond rhetorical commitments and implement concrete policies, allocating funding to support the lives and recovery of victims.
1. A “prostitution district” refers to a concentrated area of businesses that have openly operated for the explicit purpose of prostitution over many years. These zones were effectively state-condoned brothel districts, created solely for the sale of sex and allowed to exist under the government’s tacit approval. - National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women – April Activities Update(25.04)
Once known as "Mia-ri Texas," the Mia-ri District was the largest area of its kind in South Korea, with over 360 establishments and 3,000 women residents there in the early 2000s. Currently, about 50 establishments remain, with around 200 women still resident in the area. Due to the redevelopment of Sin-Wolgok District 1, demolition of the area is scheduled to begin in July 2025. However, no substantial support measures for the women have been prepared. Meanwhile, owners and landlords who profited for years from exploitation are now receiving redevelopment compensation, potentially gaining further financial benefits. Most women in the area do not have official residential or income records, excluding them from compensation related to the demolition.
Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government Seongbuk-gu Ordinance on the Prevention of Commercial Sex and Support for the Rehabilitation of Victims (established in 2017) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance of Prevention on Violation Agasint Women and Protection and Support of Victims (amended in 2020) provide a legal basis for supporting victims of commercial sex, no budget has ever been allocated to implement these ordinances. As a result, they remain nominal without substance and ineffective. The government and the city of Seoul must move beyond rhetorical commitments and implement concrete policies, allocating funding to support the lives and recovery of victims.
1. A “prostitution district” refers to a concentrated area of businesses that have openly operated for the explicit purpose of prostitution over many years. These zones were effectively state-condoned brothel districts, created solely for the sale of sex and allowed to exist under the government’s tacit approval. - National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women – April Activities Update(25.04)