By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
An ambitious Chinatown project in Seoul has been downsized due to the opposition of Korean residents and tight budget.
Ethnic Chinese in Korea expressed disappointment over restricting the development to just a few streets in Yeonnam-dong.
The original plan was to convert the nation's largest Chinese residential area in Yeonhee-dong and Yeonnam-dong into a lavish business and living complex. Seoul had planned to buy buildings in the two districts and resell or lease the remodeled structures to ethnic Chinese but the plan has now been placed on the backburner.
``The city will install Oriental street lamps and decorations for a Chinatown-like atmosphere. We expect the project to be completed this year but we are not sure of the schedule,'' said Hong Chun-shik of Seoul City Hall.
The ethnic Chinese community here expressed disappointment. Yang Tsung-sheng, the executive vice president of the Chinese Residents' Association in Seoul, said they had looked forward to the project very much, but at the same time had expected opposition from Korean residents.
``We heard Korean residents in Yeonhee-dong, where our schools are located and thousands of ethnic Chinese live, didn't like the plan at all and said they do not want it to be a Chinese village,'' he said.
According to the association, 15,000-20,000 ethnic Chinese live in Seoul. Yang, a member of the third generation, said it is now impossible for them to buy real estate to establish their own community.
From 1948, foreigners were banned from owning real estate here, a move targeting Chinese merchants who had money and power. But the ban was lifted in 1998 following the currency crisis. ``But now, prices have skyrocketed. We can ill-afford to buy,'' Yang said.
Back in those days, many were unable to establish large corporations or to own large blocks of property. Many gathered behind Myeongdong, where Hanseung Chinese Elementary School is situated. Many Chinese ran restaurants and led quiet lives.
The Chinatown had many implications for those born, raised and living in Korea. They have been longing for a government-authorized community. Especially when most cosmopolitan cities including New York and London have a Chinatown, they think Chinatown in Seoul would show diversity and dynamism.
They said such a complex could be a refuge in Korea, where they have to fight against prejudice all the time. Discrimination drove many either to seek naturalization or to go overseas where there's less prejudice.
There are more ethnic Chinese from Korea in the United States than in Korea. About 20,000-30,000 there still keep in touch with their roots in Seoul through annual gatherings or magazines.
But those who chose to stay here face a harsh reality.
They pay taxes and have recently earned permanent residency, but have limited rights to vote in elections. They are not allowed to own deluxe taxis or receive government disability pensions.
Most of all, education is a problem. Ethnic school students cannot have their academic courses accredited in Korea.
In 2006, the National Human Rights Commission advised the government to acknowledge this, but instead, the education ministry made a special university entrance exam for them instead of putting them on an equal footing with Korean students.
The social atmosphere is sometimes harsher. Top TV actress Ha Hee-ra revealed in a TV talk show that she was bullied by her friends in school for being ``jjambbong'' (a mixed Korean-Chinese dish). After she married, she took Korean nationality. She said she had forgotten most of the Chinese she used to speak she used during childhood.
``Can you name any famous ethnic-Korean Chinese people in our society?'' Lee Ji-sang, a lecturer at SungJonghoe University asked. ``Maybe a few in the entertainment or sports industry, but they have all been naturalized. It shows how prejudiced we still are toward the Chinese and other foreign nationals,'' he added.