SEOUL | Dongdaemoon Design Plaza & Park | Development News

[racetraitor]

I've been following the development in Dongdaemoon with morbid interest. This area has been on the frontlines of human rights violations in South Korea since Cheonggyecheon was built.

Recently, the baseball stadium was torn down, and now demolition has begun on the main stadium. The people in the flea market there really did not want to leave; they had been promised by then Mayor Lee Myungbag that they could stay there as long as they wanted. Of course the new mayor needs to make his own vanity project, so he evicted them.

About 70 vendors from the flea market refused to leave, and camped out in the stadium. Then early in the morning on April 16, an army of 500 hired goons invaded the stadium and attacked the vendors, beating them and throwing bricks, not holding back even against women and the elderly. The goons were paid for by the city, who regularly contracts companies to provide muscle to evict stubborn tenants. Basically, this company put uniforms on a bunch of unskilled people and paid them each 100 000 won to storm the stadium.

I know that progress is important, but I won't stop thinking about that flea market after the "Design Plaza/Park" is completed.

This is a conceptual painting of what the park will look like when it's completed. I 'm too new to this site to know the maturity level here, so I won't say what I think this looks like, or where my friend is sticking her finger.


There is a lot of conceptual artwork up around Dongdaemoon right now. Can you see anything suspicious in these pictures of what Dongdaemoon will look like when it's complete? Something notably absent?

[Locust]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

I've been following the development in Dongdaemoon with morbid interest. This area has been on the frontlines of human rights violations in South Korea since Cheonggyecheon was built.

We appreciate you posting pictures... But I dont' think that this board is the proper venue for some "agenda"... I do sympathize with the street vendors. But the question is, do they have "legal rights" to their stands?

[Foda]

This problem could be solved by the government giving a check of certain amount to each vendor rather than the use of force.

[racetraitor]

Originally Posted by Locust

We appreciate you posting pictures... But I dont' think that this board is the proper venue for some "agenda"... I do sympathize with the street vendors. But the question is, do they have "legal rights" to their stands?

I suppose a promise from Mayor Lee Myungbag is not a "legal right."

Technically the government has the constitutional right to seize anyone's property at any time. That is "legal" but it is not fair.

Don't you find it even a little bit frightening that the government hires gangsters to beat up people?

[BOM]

It is disturbing and equally disappointing, but I am not that surprised.


Now that you mention it, that 'area' does look particularly interesting :o

[Locust]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

I suppose a promise from Mayor Lee Myungbag is not a "legal right."

Technically the government has the constitutional right to seize anyone's property at any time. That is "legal" but it is not fair.

Don't you find it even a little bit frightening that the government hires gangsters to beat up people?

As you speak, working families in some western countries are being evicted at gunpoint (police) from their houses/apartments because they fell back on payments. At least, in Korea the merchants can put up some physical resistence without risking bullethole in the head. The "hired goons" are not needed where the "badged ones" can perfectly do the job within the frames of the accorded "legality".

Although I sympathize with these vendors whose livelihood is at stake... I don't understand the agenda you are pushing.... I haven't seen your posts before, but you sound like a disoriented esler....

[ginkobed]

the city provided a brand new space for the vendors. they were only refusing to leave because they don't wanna pay for the mandotary fees which they haven't been paying at all till now - helping the poor is one thing but if u wanna run a proper business small or big, u gotta pay for the space u r using, not to mention the TAXES!! government did NOTHING wrong. if they don't leave, they have every right to force them to remove them by LAW. i'm sick of those koreans being "compassionate" about every goddamn thing even when things are perfectly legitimate.

[huffdaddy]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

Technically the government has the constitutional right to seize anyone's property at any time. That is "legal" but it is not fair.

Does anyone know the eminent domain laws in Korea? Did the vendors have a lease or were they just squatting? Did they get an financial compensation at all? I was always amazed that some of the most expensive property in the world was occupied by a flea market.

Don't you find it even a little bit frightening that the government hires gangsters to beat up people?

Part of me says that's too extreme. Another part wonders how many of the vendors were looking for a fight. Koreans can be pretty damn stubborn at times.

BTW, nobody has noticed the "oddity" in the renderings.

[BOM]

I think the oddity is the lack of Koreans... and the park looks kind of dead.

But I'm sure it'll be amazing when it is completed ;D

[racetraitor]

Originally Posted by ginkobed

the city provided a brand new space for the vendors. they were only refusing to leave because they don't wanna pay for the mandotary fees which they haven't been paying at all till now - helping the poor is one thing but if u wanna run a proper business small or big, u gotta pay for the space u r using, not to mention the TAXES!! government did NOTHING wrong. if they don't leave, they have every right to force them to remove them by LAW. i'm sick of those koreans being "compassionate" about every goddamn thing even when things are perfectly legitimate.

You raise a good point that the city provided a place for the vendors to move to. Currently the vendors are split on whether they support that.

The government did something wrong, even by their standards. The company that they hired to send the goons in, is required to give said goons one day's training, which would presumably teach them how to solve problems without smashing faces. However, most of the goons were homeless people who were just thrown into a uniform and pointed in the direction of the stadium.

It's very hard to use the word "legitimate" when 500 homeless guys in uniform are hucking bricks at you.

Originally Posted by huffdaddy

Does anyone know the eminent domain laws in Korea? Did the vendors have a lease or were they just squatting? Did they get an financial compensation at all? I was always amazed that some of the most expensive property in the world was occupied by a flea market.

Part of me says that's too extreme. Another part wonders how many of the vendors were looking for a fight. Koreans can be pretty damn stubborn at times.

BTW, nobody has noticed the "oddity" in the renderings.

Eminent domain laws in Korea are very very pro-government. Originally the vendors were in the stadium at Lee Myungbag's direction, but then he vacated the mayoralty. He promised them they could stay there as long as they liked but his promise apparently expired when he left that office.

Originally Posted by BOM

I think the oddity is the lack of Koreans... and the park looks kind of dead.

But I'm sure it'll be amazing when it is completed ;D

Yeah, it's the lack of Koreans. I'm sure the park will not be dead when it's completed. Life will find a way to survive.

I didn't come on this site to pick a fight about urban renewal. It's an out-of-control process in Korea that I take a lot of pictures of, and I'm not as passionate as the people in the areas I visit, but I'm here just to give everyone some new ideas about understanding the city around them.

[BOM]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

I didn't come on this site to pick a fight about urban renewal. It's an out-of-control process in Korea that I take a lot of pictures of, and I'm not as passionate as the people in the areas I visit, but I'm here just to give everyone some new ideas about understanding the city around them.

I appreciate that. Also, I believe the effort to hastily enforce urban renewal is just part of the whole Korean tendency to get things done as fast as possible.

[brianmoon85]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

I've been following the development in Dongdaemoon with morbid interest. This area has been on the frontlines of human rights violations in South Korea since Cheonggyecheon was built.

Recently, the baseball stadium was torn down, and now demolition has begun on the main stadium. The people in the flea market there really did not want to leave; they had been promised by then Mayor Lee Myungbag that they could stay there as long as they wanted. Of course the new mayor needs to make his own vanity project, so he evicted them.

About 70 vendors from the flea market refused to leave, and camped out in the stadium. Then early in the morning on April 16, an army of 500 hired goons invaded the stadium and attacked the vendors, beating them and throwing bricks, not holding back even against women and the elderly. The goons were paid for by the city, who regularly contracts companies to provide muscle to evict stubborn tenants. Basically, this company put uniforms on a bunch of unskilled people and paid them each 100 000 won to storm the stadium.

I know that progress is important, but I won't stop thinking about that flea market after the "Design Plaza/Park" is completed.

This is a conceptual painting of what the park will look like when it's completed. I 'm too new to this site to know the maturity level here, so I won't say what I think this looks like, or where my friend is sticking her finger.


There is a lot of conceptual artwork up around Dongdaemoon right now. Can you see anything suspicious in these pictures of what Dongdaemoon will look like when it's complete? Something notably absent?

Although I like the new Design Park (I think it's because Seoul was selected as World Design for like 2009 or 2010), I'm definitely going to miss the area that was once there. The area filled with street vendors...so filled with life and hard-working lower middle class people selling food, clothing, shoes, etc...I just hope Seoul doesn't change its image entirely and become mega modern like Tokyo. I think what attracts foreigners to Seoul is the energy and the mix of both luxurious high-tech malls and shopping areas blending in with the traditional, and open-air markets. I really like Dongdaemun

[princeofseoul]

Originally Posted by brianmoon85

Although I like the new Design Park (I think it's because Seoul was selected as World Design for like 2009 or 2010), I'm definitely going to miss the area that was once there. The area filled with street vendors...so filled with life and hard-working lower middle class people selling food, clothing, shoes, etc...I just hope Seoul doesn't change its image entirely and become mega modern like Tokyo. I think what attracts foreigners to Seoul is the energy and the mix of both luxurious high-tech malls and shopping areas blending in with the traditional, and open-air markets. I really like Dongdaemun

Tokyo has an area which is like the dongdaemun market, it's Okachimachi -- a bit bigger but similar. Tsukiji is like the Namdaemun market but they plan to destroy it and move it elsewhere. In the end, both cities are getting rid of one of their two large open-air markets.

I find it's a great move by both. I like markets as long as they look young and fancy, not old and crappy.

[Ellatur]

why are ponds there around the restored walls? wtf?

[racetraitor]

Originally Posted by brianmoon85

Although I like the new Design Park (I think it's because Seoul was selected as World Design for like 2009 or 2010), I'm definitely going to miss the area that was once there. The area filled with street vendors...so filled with life and hard-working lower middle class people selling food, clothing, shoes, etc...I just hope Seoul doesn't change its image entirely and become mega modern like Tokyo. I think what attracts foreigners to Seoul is the energy and the mix of both luxurious high-tech malls and shopping areas blending in with the traditional, and open-air markets. I really like Dongdaemun

Yeah, it is a very cool part of Seoul, along with similar markets in Namdaemoon, Insadong, and right outside the gates of Ehwa, which is also being torn down.

I like shopping in flea markets. In the last weekend Dongdaemoon Stadium was open, I got a pair of Levi's for 10 000 won. The deals are better and the experience is more fun than going to a department store.

That said, I'm still not sure what this design park will be used for. By the way, Seoul is World Design Capital 2010. There are ads up for it all over the barriers and fences in Dongdaemoon.

[brianmoon85]

Originally Posted by racetraitor

Yeah, it is a very cool part of Seoul, along with similar markets in Namdaemoon, Insadong, and right outside the gates of Ehwa, which is also being torn down.

I like shopping in flea markets. In the last weekend Dongdaemoon Stadium was open, I got a pair of Levi's for 10 000 won. The deals are better and the experience is more fun than going to a department store.

That said, I'm still not sure what this design park will be used for. By the way, Seoul is World Design Capital 2010. There are ads up for it all over the barriers and fences in Dongdaemoon.

dang, you're in Seoul? Sooooo lucky~!! I miss the days when my friends and myself would go to Dongdaemun late at night and eat in one of those street vending places (soju, soondae, etc hehe) and also buy GUCCI-inspired tennis shoes for only 30,000 won after bargaining . I also love the shopping experience in open-markets more since I'm already tired of strip malls and malls in the US!! I am in Washington DC and I have to say it is one of the most boring capital cities I've been to. Aren't capital cities supposed to be exciting and filled with life? lol

[princeofseoul]

^ This depends which capital. Washington DC is a street life heaven compared to Ottawa, Canada .

[racetraitor]

Originally Posted by brianmoon85

dang, you're in Seoul? Sooooo lucky~!! I miss the days when my friends and myself would go to Dongdaemun late at night and eat in one of those street vending places (soju, soondae, etc hehe) and also buy GUCCI-inspired tennis shoes for only 30,000 won after bargaining . I also love the shopping experience in open-markets more since I'm already tired of strip malls and malls in the US!! I am in Washington DC and I have to say it is one of the most boring capital cities I've been to. Aren't capital cities supposed to be exciting and filled with life? lol

I've got sad news for you: you're not going to be able to do this for much longer. Soon there will be no 포장마차 tents left in Dongdaemoon, and the only places you'll be able to shop will be in department stores. Just crossing my fingers that Namdaemoon isn't next.

Also, I second what princeofseoul says: the capital isn't always the most exciting city. To go even further, most Canadian and American state and province capitals aren't the most exciting cities around, for example Victoria in BC and Olympia in Washington. I can't understand why myself.

[BOM]

Victoria is gorgeous though.

Nonetheless, it seems like Dongdaemun will be gentrified.

[Mussoda]

Originally Posted by BOM

Victoria is gorgeous though.

Nonetheless, it seems like Dongdaemun will be gentrified.

seconded.. ^.^

Originally Posted by Ellatur

why are ponds there around the restored walls? wtf?

really, it seems an oddity..
But the pond after completion will seem to have similar ambiance with the Peace-Nuri Park, Imjingak, IMO..