Asan City Pays 8 million won to Woman Who Returned to Sex Work After Anti‑Prostitution Pledge

The city of Asan in South Korea earmarked 45.2 million won for a program supporting women who leave prostitution, adding a further 11 million won request to the budget. Within a month of signing a pledge to quit sex work, a woman identified as Kim (A) returned to a brothel. City officials confirmed the breach but still disbursed a total of 8 million won—100 million won for living expenses and 700 million won for relocation—under the support scheme.

Conservative lawmaker Lee Yoon‑kyu, a member of the Asan city council, condemned the payment as reckless misuse of taxpayers’ money and called for a full audit of the program, describing the decision as "indiscriminate hand‑out administration." The incident has sparked debate over the oversight of welfare funds allocated for anti‑prostitution initiatives.