Hwadong residents fight to keep hilly path

Tourists walk along Hwadong path that lies between Jaedong Elementry School and Jeongdok Public Library in Bukchon Hanok Village, central Seoul. The path is a 60-meter long gentle slope and a district office's move to flatten it is drawing protests from residents.
/ Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo

By Nam Hyun-woo

A district office's move to flatten an uphill road in Bukchon Hanok Village in central Seoul is drawing protest from its residents.

Hwadong hill path is a 60-meter-long gently ascending slope heading to Jeongdok Public Library from Jaedong Elementary School, near the hanok village. The path, lined with hip modern cafes and contrasting traditional Korean teahouses, evokes the beauty of modern and traditional harmony.

As the village has become popular for tourists, a group calling for the development of Bukchon suggested that Jongno District Office level the path.

The group, called the Bukchon Village Readjustment Association, collected the signatures of 4,500 people in favor of the project.

In February, the district office took up the group's suggestion ― since it was deemed public opinion ― and pushed ahead with a 360-million-won ($323,000) project to make the path level.

On April 22, district chief Kim Young-jong announced the project to residents, only to draw backlash from them as they had not even heard of it.

An 80-year-old street vendor said, "I have been here for 30 years and the hill is p[art of my life. Flattening it is nonsense."

"I didn't learn about the project until the Jongno office announced the plan. The hill is not steep. It perfectly matches the soft curve of hanok," said a resident who has been living in one of the hanoks for decades.

Many residents said the biggest question about the office's decision is where the 4,500 peoples' signatures calling for the unnecessary project came from.

"Most of those who signed are not residents here and they signed knowing nothing about the project," said Chang Kye-hyeon, the representative of the villagers opposing the project.

She said there is a suspicion among the residents that the head of the Bukchon association, Kwon Dae-song, owns a massive amount of land in Bukchon. With the project, he allegedly wants to raise traffic volume in the village, which could boost the value of the land he owns, said Chang.

Kwon claimed that the flattening of the slope will make it easier for visitors and villagers to walk, adding the project is not to completely flatten the path.

The path ascends at an angle of 5 to 6 degrees and is not difficult at walk along, residents say. Many, including the 80 years old vendor, walk it in a slow but in a relaxed manner.

"Some ask ‘Why do you oppose lowering the path by just 1 meter.' Then, we ask, what's the reason for such a meaningless project that costs 360 million won," Chang said.

Residents, including Chang, have staged a separate signature campaign to get the project cancelled.

Leave it as it is

The issue of the Hwadong path also drew the attention of social activists after Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon posted comments critical of the project, calling it a "misfortune" on his Facebook page.

In an interview with The Korea Times on March 27, Park said that preserving villages such as Bukchon was one of his key policies and that the Seoul municipal government plans to come up with policies to conserve such areas.

Park also personally made a call to the Jongno District chief Kim Young-jong and asked him to review the plan.

Officials at the Jongno District office say they are confused about the situation.
One said that the district asked for residents' opinions last October, but now most strongly oppose the plan.

"We will put the project on hold and gather more opinions," said the official.
Chang and other residents argued that the village is attractive because it still preserves the beauty of tradition.

"Flattening the path will deprive the village of its reason for being. The project deems the village as a subject to monolithic new town development plans" said Chang.

A tourist from New York said that the biggest impression he felt in Seoul is that the city was built far above the ground, not on the ground. Massive underground shopping malls, subway stations and other complexes are everywhere. However, he said he fell in love with Bukchon since the village still preserves Korea's traditional image, not an artificially designed one.

"I like the way the village is. The path is a blessing given by nature. I don't understand people's ideas that artificial decoration is development or improvement," said the tourist.

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