Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young: "Former Suwon Station Sex Trade Zone Will Be Developed as Public Space"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young stated, "We will continue to make efforts to develop the former Suwon Station sex trade zone into a space where citizens can easily visit at any time."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Mayor Yeom visited 114 Masan-ro 1-ga, where the Suwon Station sex trade zone was located, to inspect the progress of the fire access road construction project. He added, "We made 'closing the Suwon Station sex trade zone' a core pledge of the 7th civilian-elected administration, and established the 'Suwon Station Street Improvement Promotion Task Force' in January 2019. We have seen results after more than three years."

He continued, "I would like to express special gratitude to the police who actively cooperated in closing the Suwon Station sex trade zone." He added, "I also thank the residents of Godeung-dong and Maesan-dong, Suwon city council members, Gyeonggi Province council members, and members of the Masan-ro merchants association who contributed their efforts."

The fire access road project inspected by Mayor Yeom on that day involves creating a fire access road with a width of 6 meters and length of 163 meters in the center of the former Suwon Station sex trade zone to establish a safety system in preparation for disasters such as fires. The project is scheduled to be completed this month.

The Suwon Station Street Improvement Promotion Task Force began work in February to remove asbestos and demolish structures, and subsequently launched the fire access road construction project in full scale. It also proceeded with 'replacement of aging water and sewage pipes' and 'urban gas supply pipe installation work.'

Additionally, LED street lights were installed at seven locations and CCTV for crime prevention and illegal parking enforcement was installed at three locations, creating a bright street where citizens can safely pass through. A safety system was also established to prepare for disasters such as fires.

The fire access road construction project played a significant role in the sex trade business owners' 'voluntary closure' on May 31st.

Currently, out of 78 buildings that were used as sex trade establishments, reconstruction or remodeling is underway in 48 buildings (61.5%). On October 26th, the 'youth access restriction zone' that was designated in July 1999 was lifted after 22 years, and now the street can be accessed by youth as well.

The city has also been promoting the 'sex trade zone road opening project phase 2' since March. The project involves opening a road with a width of 6 meters and length of 50 meters within the zone and will continue until December of next year.

In addition, hub space construction is being carried out utilizing remaining land within the road opening section. One existing building will be remodeled and utilized as a multipurpose space for exhibitions and performances, and green space for citizen rest areas is also planned to be created.