Paju City: "Public Deliberation on Red-Light District Is for Sustainable Dismantling, Not Delaying Closure"

Considering the balloon effect, human rights, and procedural legitimacy
Public deliberation to conclude by year-end... Stronger dismantling plan to follow

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province said the public deliberation over the city’s resolve to dismantle its red-light district was not a retreat from that commitment, stating, “This is not a process to justify illegal activity or delay the district’s closure,” but rather “an effort to develop a sustainable plan for dismantling it that also takes the balloon effect into account.”

A view of Paju City Hall. Photo courtesy of Paju City.

On November 11, Paju City issued this statement in response to concerns raised by some media outlets and residents about the public deliberation process. The city was responding to questions about whether the recent deliberations might weaken its resolve to dismantle the district or serve the interests of specific stakeholders.

The city explained that physical closure alone would not be enough to prevent the balloon effect, in which prostitution moves underground to nearby areas or other cities. Its goal is not merely to halt operations in a specific area, but to dismantle the district’s underlying structure and reduce the likelihood that it will reemerge.

The city also plans to review human rights and procedural legitimacy issues that could arise during enforcement. The city believes that moving forward without gathering sufficient input could lead to further conflict and unintended consequences, since the issue involves women’s rights and welfare, resident safety, the urban environment, and tensions within the community.

The city emphasized that the public deliberation is not intended to guarantee anyone’s livelihood or provide special favors. It said it would listen to the views of a wide range of residents and stakeholders, and draw on the materials and discussions presented to develop a reasonable solution.

The public deliberation process will be systematically documented and its records accumulated for use in resolving other social conflicts in the future. The city plans to develop an administrative system that goes beyond addressing individual cases to enable various disputes to be discussed and resolved through public deliberation.

The city plans to complete the relevant procedures by the end of this year or, at the latest, early next year, and pursue a more robust plan for dismantling the district based on the outcome of the discussions.

A Paju City official said, “Rather than simply eliminating the red-light district, we are taking a structural approach that also considers the balloon effect,” adding, “This public deliberation is not intended to justify illegal activity or support specific stakeholders, but is a process to develop a sustainable plan for dismantling the district.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.