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OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — About 200 people gathered outside Osan Air Base’s main gate Friday to protest the 51st Fighter Wing decision to ban servicemembers from six juicy bars in the adjacent Songtan Entertainment District found to be promoting prostitution.

Six other base-area bars were already on the off-limits list.

Osan officials made the entire Songtan district off-limits to servicemembers from 11 a.m.-5 a.m., effective Friday, until the protests are over.

The Songtan branch of the Korea Tourism Association — which represents juicy bar owners across the peninsula — issued a statement strongly condemning the base’s decision.

The bar owners also took issue with how the base is keeping tabs on their establishments, including the use of CCTV cameras and armed security forces dropping in.

Numerous Korean bar owners took part in the demonstration, along with some of the Philippine “juicy girls” whose job it is to flirt with servicemen and try to get them to buy the women expensive juice drinks.

While flirting is as far as things go at some juicy bars, others are notorious for forcing their hostesses to prostitute themselves when they fall short of drink-sale quotas.

limon.armando@stripes.com

rabiroff.jon@stripes.com

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