Opposition to Forced Eviction in Mia-ri Texas; Sex Workers Begin Tent Protest in Front of Seongbuk-gu Office

In opposition to the forced eviction at "Mia-ri Texas," the last remaining sex work hub in downtown Seoul, owners and workers of sex establishments began a relay tent protest in front of the Seongbuk-gu Office starting from the 17th.

This protest is a response to the North Seoul District Court's authorization of the eviction order the day before.

On the 17th, around 50 people, including about 20 members of the Korean Women's Association United and over 30 members of the Mia-ri Sex Workers’ Migration Countermeasures Committee, set up tents in front of the Seongbuk-gu Office and began their protest.

Participants wore placards around their necks reading, "Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon must come up with migration measures" and "Seongbuk-gu Office must develop realistic migration measures," while chanting slogans like, "Seongbuk-gu Office chief Lee Seung-ro must resign and the Seongbuk-gu Office must be dismantled."

Conflicts Emerge During Forced Eviction, Voices Raised for Migration Measures

The North Seoul District Court conducted the eviction enforcement process for the sex work concentrated area from 10:50 AM to 1:00 PM on the 16th. During this process, some sex work owners and employees clashed with enforcement personnel.

The Seongbuk-gu Office stated, "Eviction enforcement was carried out on two buildings in the area," while asserting, "There were no casualties or instances of individuals being taken away by the police."

Some participants arrived in their pajamas due to the suddenness of the forced eviction.

Kim Mo (43), a co-chair of the Migration Countermeasures Committee, expressed, "I came out suddenly for the forced eviction with only my cellphone, without even putting on socks," adding, "It seems like there will be more evictions, but I felt I had to come out and at least talk here."

Choi Mo, the vice-chair of the Migration Countermeasures Committee, accused the office saying, "The office just says, 'You handle it' and 'Legally, we did nothing wrong.’”

He further stated, "When I ask how much the fine would be, they tell me to 'ask someone who knows the law.' This is all we can do."

Fifteen police riot squad members were deployed to the scene, along with over 30 staff members from the Seongbuk-gu Office and the Seongbuk Police Station monitoring the situation. When the riot police took positions with shields, a commotion occurred as protesters mistakenly thought the tents were being dismantled and rushed toward them.

Some participants stripped off their clothes and lay down in the street or engaged in scuffles with office staff in a vigorous protest.

During the gathering, police issued a 'noise limitation and cessation order' arguing that playing music and dancing exceeded the assembly noise threshold of 70 dB.

The Migration Countermeasures Committee stated, "We plan to continue a 24-hour protest with two to three people guarding the tents."

Mia-ri Texas has been a prominent sex work hub in Seoul since the 1960s.

As red-light districts near Seoul Station and Jongno 3-ga were demolished due to urban redevelopment, sex workers who lost their homes gathered in this area.

At one time, there were about 500 establishments and over 4,000 sex workers in the area, but in 2000, the then-head of the Jongam Police Station, Kim Gang-ja, declared "a war on sex trafficking" and conducted major crackdowns.

The Special Law on Prostitution Enforcement in 2004 significantly intensified regulations. Currently, police estimate that only about 35 to 40 establishments and around 60 workers remain.

Image source: News1