The curtains are set to close around a large neighborhood south of central Seoul’s Itaewon, the first phase of the Hannam New Town redevelopment project.
Hannam Zone 3, the first of possibly four to commence, comprises parts of Bogwang-dong and Hannam-dong, separated by a narrow, tall ridge now filled with abandoned storefronts, some with their windows shattered. Unwanted furniture is piled along the alleyways, and scavengers prowl around during the day, loading whatever’s salvageable into their trucks. The green 01 village bus still weaves through the area but without passengers on this part of its route. As night falls, the streetlights still switch on, but the windows of the area’s many homes and shops remain dark. Everywhere, nature is creeping back in, but its lease is only temporary before full demolition begins.
About seven months of large-scale evictions wrapped up last month, and almost all the area’s residents have moved on. The area was depopulated without violence, but the resulting derelict cityscape still feels more unsettling than calm, like a 토토 taped-off police crime scene, or a city evacuated after a disaster or the ruins of an ancient civilization wiped out by an invading force. After decades of delays, Seoul’s most culturally and economically diverse neighborhood begins its inevitable transformation into its most affluent.
“It needs to happen. It should have happened decades ago. Is it kind of sad that it will inevitably become a copy/paste of other uber-rich areas in Korea? Kind of,” said a Canadian national who wished to be identified only by the name Gordon. “It would be nice if it could be developed with a new character of its own, but what can you do? It is some of the most central, most valuable land in Seoul, if not the entire country. It can’t remain as a dump that resembles 1960s Korea. Will it lead to ‘improvements for people’? Sure, those who can afford it.”
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