Viral Tweet Shows “Super Creepy” Trip Down The One Street In Seoul You Should Avoid

The Times Square Mall in Yeongdeungpo-gu is one of the largest shopping malls in Seoul. The mall sits right next to the Yeongdeungpo Station, making it a popular attraction for both locals and tourists.

But right outside the mall is also the most avoided block of street in Seoul. One viral tweet warning, “Do not ever go through this area,” has since uncovered a YouTube video that captured one of Seoul’s last-surviving “Red Light District.”

In the video showing up and down the little alleyway, prostitutes can be seen sitting inside glass box-like structures, lit red. At the start of the alleyway, there are signs posted prohibiting minors from entering 24 hours a day. Still, its proximity to the large subway station makes it easily accessible to anyone oblivious.

궁금해서 찾아봣는데 ㅈㄴ무서워…… https://t.co/t66SK6oPb7 pic.twitter.com/1WsEdhQRX3

— 감만이 (@gamjamand) August 2, 2025

As the tweets circulated online, netizens could not believe that the Yeongdeungpo-gu red light district is still standing. In addition to sheer disgust, some also expressed confusion as to how it’s operating when prostitution is illegal in Korea.

• “Can’t believe this still exists. I’m seriously shocked.”
• “I accidentally walked in there in broad daylight once, and it was terrifying. Seriously… the moment you step in, the whole vibe just feels off. Super creepy.”
• “WTF.”
• “I was heading to Yeongdeungpo Station after a hospital visit, took a wrong turn into this alleyway and almost fainted. And this was in the morning! It was seriously so scary.”
• “There’s this lamb skewer place that’s f*cking good at the entrance of that alley, but I’m too scared to go.”
• “The area around Yeongdeungpo Station is honestly scary.”
• “The fact that stuff like that still exists is shocking.”
• “There are so many bars around, so lots of drunk people too… Even if both are considered busy areas, the vibe is totally different from Myeongdong. Myeongdong is really a tourist-focused area.”
• “Last winter I had to walk to Yeongdeungpo after a protest in Yeouido because there were no buses… Took the wrong street and got so freaked out…”
• “Is that even legal? They’re openly doing sex work?!”

• “I’m from out of town so I didn’t know, and I was shocked when I passed by there with my younger sibling. It was broad daylight, but the vibe was really off…”
• “If you come out the front of the train station, cross at the three-way intersection, and go into the first alley on the side without the market… That’s the place. I mean, it’s probably in similar locations in other cities too. Gyeongju had one like that 30 years ago. Some alley entrances are painted red with signs that say ‘No minors allowed,’ but when you see stuff like that, you wonder what the point of laws even is. Isn’t it illegal to begin with?”
• “I accidentally took the wrong street going to Times Square over a decade ago and freaked out—can’t believe it’s still like that.”
• “It’s been around for decades and is well-known. Never go there.”
• “There was one right in front of Yongsan Station too for decades, but it eventually got cleaned up.”
• “Why is this place still standing?!”
• “I took the wrong turn going to Times Square and literally ran out of there. It was so scary.”
• “So men who buy sex look at those women and don’t think it’s creepy? They get turned on instead…? Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever understand men.”
• “Wait, that kind of area still exists??? It’s literally illegal though.”

Others worried that tourists, unfamiliar with the area, would be led to use the alleyway if their navigation directed them that way. The alleyway is said to be used by locals during the daytime when it’s not “in business” until 8PM or later, but “creepy” nonetheless.

Red light district? Is it dangerous?
byu/Ornery-Revolution-47 inseoul

So, is it dangerous? One Reddit comment pointed out “shady, but not actually dangerous.”

Comment
byu/Ornery-Revolution-47 from discussion
inseoul

Meanwhile, Koreans who have been to the area agreed that, given the nature of the activities going on in the alleyway, danger is always lurking.

• “But why is it dangerous? I get that it’s a red-light district, but can’t you just ignore it and keep walking? Are there a lot of crimes or something?”
• “You mean the railroad tracks near the residential area?”
• “Is prostitution really illegal in South Korea at this point? LOL.”
• “I mean… Do you really think the people going to red-light districts are all decent? Even a regular woman walking by could easily be mistaken for something else. What kind of trouble do you think that could cause? LOL. Use your brain a little.”
• “Nothing’s changed there, seriously… When I take the bus to Times Square, I always cross behind Shinsegae and pass through horizontally. But I never even glance down that alley, even during the day. When is it finally going to disappear? LOL”
• “When I was preparing to move to Mullae Station, I looked into why that area hasn’t been cleared out… There was talk of redevelopment, but apparently the head of the redevelopment committee was both a pimp and a building owner. So if it gets shut down, he profits anyway. The police say they need to catch it in the act, so they pretend not to know. Technically, building owners are supposed to be punished for illegal businesses, but they just say, ‘Oh? That was happening in my building? I had no idea.’ And then they get off scot-free. Since the rent comes in well, landlords don’t kick them out. It was all a mess, from what I remember.”

Earlier, it was rumored that the district would be demolished in 2025. It is now half way through 2025 and the district still stands.

Watch the full video here: