Anti-sex work gentrification: critical feminist discourse analysis of red-light districts demolition in South Korea

Abstract This study critically examines media discourses surrounding the demolition of red-light districts in Korea following the 2004 sex-trade ban. Through feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA), it reveals how mainstream media frames these demolitions as part of neoliberal urban renewal, focusing on economic growth and moral reform while criminalizing sex workers. In contrast, some feminist magazines selected here advocate for labor rights and feminist kinship but often reinforce patriarchal ideals and marginalize migrant and queer workers. The study introduces the concept of “anti-sex work gentrification,” emphasizing how gentrification intersects with anti-feminist sexual politics to suppress sex workers. Despite these challenges, sex workers resist through protests and survival strategies. This study highlights the need for intersectional and transnational feminist perspectives that center sex workers' voices in feminist media discourses.