옛 성병관리소 철거 앞장선 동두천시의장…“갈등 조정 책임 저버려” 비판 나와

The former Sexual Disease Prevention and Treatment Center in Dongducheon is being demolished, sparking controversy as Dongducheon City Mayor Im Hyun-suk leads a hunger strike and protest. The mayor, who claims she is a "Dongducheon-born woman," is accused of failing to fulfill her role in mediating the conflict. On April 14th, around 4 PM, approximately 80 citizens wearing white and red bandanas gathered in front of the entrance of the former center at Sooyangsan in Sobaekam-dong to demand its immediate demolition.

The "Dongducheon to Love" women's group, which advocates for preservation, labeled the supporters of demolition as "external forces" and urged citizens to leave Dongducheon. The mayor participated in a relay hunger strike following the rally. The former center, established in 1973, was a site of state violence that forcibly housed female residents.

In 2023, the city announced demolition plans for the center to promote tourism. This led to nationwide protests by 59 organizations. Last week, a statement from the women's group was shared on a regional women's organization's KakaoTalk group, calling for support and urging at least seven members from each group to attend. The statement claimed that 80 women from the support organization "New Home" demanded the demolition.

However, New Home has never made such a statement or accepted such a position. This led to concerns about the use of unverified information about the demand for demolition as a basis for removing the center. At a press conference on November 11th, the mayor was called on to clarify the ownership and scope of her involvement. The mayor declined to write the official statement and instead asked the chair of the women's organization to take the lead.

She stated that she only asked the women's organization to provide leadership, not to assign roles or coerce participation. The mayor emphasized that as a mayor, her role is to listen to the public and find the most reasonable solution, not to use power to enforce her personal views.