Cheongnyangni 588 or 588 (pronounced 'oh-pal-pal') is the name of Seoul's once famous red light district in Jeonnong-dong by Cheongnyangni Station and behind the Lotte Department Store.
It's named "588" because this is the district address where most of the brothels and businesses of the neighborhood are concentrated, not because there is a bus by that number which passes through the area, as commonly believed.
588 has received the brunt of police crackdowns on prostitution over the years to the chagrin of the brothel owners and working girls. The area has also gotten another 'blow' by the city's decision to do extensive development through the area.
At its height, 588 had as many as 400 women working at 150 brothels in the area, but that figure has curtailed down to 60 brothels, as of the summer of 2006 and is expected to be fully closed by further crackdowns in 2007.
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