South Korea is no stranger to arguments over gentrification,
but the latest one is particularly stark:
"These shops are a key part of Seoul’s healthy functioning, past and present, says Park Eun-seon, urban activist and founder of the collective Listen to the City.
'This area is now the oldest area in Seoul. Everything else is postwar. Here we have some originals. The people worked here for a long time, making their own history – and now the government wants to make it offices and apartments. Ridiculous.'
She points out that the government has past form in demolishing first and asking questions later. In 2003, when the Cheonggyecheon stream was originally developed, more than 30,000 street vendors were moved out after an elevated highway was demolished to restore the original river underneath. The waterway is now a favourite socialising spot for Seoulites, and its success helped propel then-mayor Lee Myung-bak to the presidency."
The possibility of violence is far from zero:
"There are no signs of violence in the current dispute, nor any suggestion that Hanho Construction was involved in any past confrontations, but the Korea Times has reported that the firm has sent aggressive letters to shop owners, bypassing their official tenants’ association. Many of the letters asked for double rent, or claimed damages of up to 500m won (£343,000) for unspecified obstruction, the newspaper said."
I'd only add, anecdotally, that South Korea landlords can be just as terrible as American ones.
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