Anti-Love Hotel Campaign Spreads All Over the Country

Campaigns aimed out driving out "love hotels," near schools and residential areas gained momentum Thursday with more civic groups and citizens taking part in protests against the spread of the low-cost hotels.
Some 14 civic groups in Taegu, the nation's third-largest city, gathered to stamp out hotels that usually charge on an hourly rate or half-day rates. Leading civic groups, including Taegu YMCA declared a consturction site that is attached to a residential area as "green zone," officially launching a surveilliance network. The citizens also plan to supervise customers going in and out of the hotels after the construction of love hotels in the area.
Chunju city also announced plans to seek revision of regulations of city planning, in a move to block a hotel from being set up next year.
"Although the government and the National Assembly said that they will revise relating laws and reinforce regulations in order to prevent the love hotels from mushrooming, we came to a decision to act upon our interest ourselves because it will take take until a institutional system is opeaed," a citizen living in Taegu said.
A citizen not only complained about the bad influences the hotels have on children, but also the damages on the enviornment.
"Although there are some economic benefits made from the development of the island, but the island is nearly covered with love hotels," Lee Jang-kyu, 56, citizen of Inchon City said. "This is damaging the environment and more and more complaints from the citizens are being received for creating a indecent environmental atmosphere for our children," he added.
The Ministry of Construction and Transportation recently said that entertainment places including the hotel, night clubs and other facilities will not be allowed to be built in residential areas and nearby schools.
The government's plan came in the wake of strong complaints from citizens of several satellite cities. According to a report released by National Assembly, some 700 of 885 applications for permission to build hotel facilities near schools were approvy by local boards of education from 1998 to 2000.
Meanwhile, some owners of hotels in Ilsan, north of Seoul, have gathered in order to prevent further losses being incurred from the citizen's rallies.
"We have lost most of our customers with the citizens holding rallies in front of our hotels since end of last month and the names of the clients being revealed on internet," said a owner of a hotel.

by Jeon Ik-jin