Festival featuring Japanese porn actresses canceled in Suwon after protests

An "adult festival" featuring Japanese pornographic actresses will no longer take place in its original venue in Suwon following the city government's request to cancel the event.

Members of a women's advocacy organization protest a planned adult festival in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 12. [SUWON WOMEN'S HOTLINE]

An "adult festival" featuring Japanese pornographic actresses will no longer take place in its original venue in Suwon, Gyeonggi, following the city government's request to cancel the event.

Suwon Messe, a private convention center located in Seodun-dong, Gwonseon District in Suwon, told the event's host company on Friday to cancel the festival set to take place later in the month, the city government said Monday.

The festival, dubbed 2024 KXF The Fashion, was to take place at the venue for two days on April 20 and 21. The city government officially asked the convention center to cancel its contract with the event's host, citing a violation of laws to protect the educational environment.

The law bans businesses that offer potentially lewd services within 200 meters (656 feet) of a school.

The festival venue is only about 50 meters away from an elementary school. Concern over violation of the law was raised by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the city government said.

An advertisement of the adult festival [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The city government also said the festival violates the convention center’s management regulation, which explicitly restricts the venue from being used for purposes that go against the public interest. The regulation also prohibits “unethical and harmful actions to the youth” at the venue.

Local civic groups and women’s advocacy organizations have protested the event since it was announced.

“We strongly condemn ‘2024 KXF The Fashion’ as it sexually commercializes the female body and sexual activities,” a women's organization member said during a press conference in front of Suwon Station on March 12.

Suwon-based social organizations, including seven women's rights organizations and 30 civic groups, participated in the press conference.

A petitioner also wrote to the National Assembly on March 21 to halt the event, raising concerns that "an event equivalent to prostitution," which is illegal in Korea, was taking place in a downtown area.

The festival's host said it would file a damage complaint against the Suwon city government and the convention center.

According to the host company, the festival was to include a swimwear show featuring pornographic actresses. Admission was set at 89,000 won ($66) a day.

This month's festival was supposed to be the second one. The first festival was hosted in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, last December, where adult visitors watched a lingerie show and took photos with Japanese adult entertainers.

BY LEE HAY-JUNE, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]