The History of Red Light District in South Korea


Colloquium

  • Date & Time: Friday, 18 January, 2019, 15:00-16:00
  • Place: Room #406, SNUAC(Bldg#101)
  • Speaker: Professor Jeong-Mi Park (Dept. of Sociology, Chungbuk National University)
  • Organizer: SNUAC Center for Asian Cities
  • Inquiry: Eunyoung Song  / snucac@gmail.com

Review

On January 18, 2019, SNUAC Center for Asian Cities invited Professor Jeong-Mi Park (Chungbuk National University) for a lecture on “The History of Red Light District in South Korea” at their eighth colloquium. The colloquium began with a historical examination of the sex industry and its regulation during the Joseon Dynasty through the colonization period. Professor Park explained the authorization-regulation and toleration-regulation prostitution policies and the background and meaning of their coexistence. The post-liberation period’s prostitution policy amidst chaos and poverty, policies on military prostitution in U.S. camptowns, the development of the red light district, the 80s’ era of pleasure and fear, and prostitution prohibition law in the 90s were discussed The colloquium concluded with discussions on Professor Park’s future research plans regarding the toleration-regulation regime.