The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Diplomacy
  • Defense
  • Labor & Environment
  • Law & Crime
  • Health & Welfare
  • Embassy
  • Seoul & Provinces
  • Education
  • Foreign Communities
  • Obituaries
Biz & Tech
  • Auto
  • IT
  • Game
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail & Food
  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Airlines
Finance
  • Policies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Banks
  • Non-banks
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Arts
  • Books
  • Travel & Cuisine
  • Trend
  • Fashion
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
  • K-pop
  • K-dramas & Shows
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Performances
  • Asia Model Festival
Sports
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Baseball
  • Other Sports
World
  • Asia Pacific
  • Americas
  • Europe & Africa
  • SCMP
Video
  • On the Spot
  • Feature
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
Community
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
Mon, March 8, 2021 | 03:33
Editorial
Yongsan disaster revisited
Posted : 2012-07-04 18:01
Updated : 2012-07-04 18:01
Mail
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down
Time to address problems in urban redevelopment

The box-office success of an independent documentary has sparked a renewed focus on the ``Yongsan disaster’’ that claimed the lives of five tenants and one policeman in January 2009. The film, entitled ``2 Doors,’’ has drawn more than 16,000 people as of Tuesday ― a large number given that it’s an independent movie.

The film appears to be succeeding in making its message more persuasive by shedding new light on the incident from the perspective of the police and ruling out lopsided arguments from surviving victims.

The tragedy took place on Jan. 20 when some 40 tenants, who had occupied a watchtower on the rooftop of a four-story building in Yongsan, central Seoul, in protest against insufficient compensation for the redevelopment of the neighborhood, clashed with riot police. In the pre-dawn raid, a fire broke out. Five evictees and one policeman were killed in the blaze. The prosecution said later that the fire broke out when the tenants threw paint thinners and firebombs. What has been clearly established so far is that police made a hasty decision by deploying riot police without thinking much about the consequences which were tragic. As implied in the title of the film, there were two doors to the watchtower, but the police launched the operation, without knowing which the right one was ― this shows how messy the operation was and how irresponsible senior police officers were. Kim Seok-ki, then chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the commissioner general-designate of the National Police Agency, resigned.

Nonetheless, many questions remain unanswered ― why the decision to deploy riot police was made so quickly, why they launched the operation despite there being plenty of inflammable materials inside and why the prosecution didn’t disclose some 3,000 pages of investigation records believed to contain details of the clash between tenants and the police.

Equally clear is that their occupation of the watchtower was in violation of the relevant law. And it might have been inevitable for police to launch an attack in consideration of the safety of passing citizens, given that the tenants were throwing firebombs into the street from the building. At the same time, all the protestors were not poor tenants; some of them were professionals affiliated with ``Jeoncheolyeon,’’ an association of militant evictees.

The film’s message is that the Yongsan tragedy was violence against the poor by the state, which is a true reflection of the Lee Myung-bak administration. Yet this conclusion may have gone too far, taking into consideration that police officers as well as tenants were victims and that police didn’t launch the operation anticipating such consequences.

The biggest problem is that our society has learned nothing from the disaster. The government then promised to reform the redevelopment mechanism in urban areas, which was at the heart of the incident, but nothing has been done so far. As a result, conflicts and clashes over urban development are taking place even now.









 
 
  • Korean security officer fired over incident with Indonesian factory workers
  • Who wants to be a cryptomillionaire?
  • Seoul's leniency on Pyongyang worries some in international community
  • Wary tale about the use of straw
  • Finance minister pledges unwavering push for housing supply plan
  • Waste management companies grow more attractive to private equity funds
  • [INTERVIEW] Ruling party's Seoul mayoral candidate vows to make city global economic hub
  • New virus cases above 400 for 2nd day
  • Market Kurly under fire for blacklisting staff
  • POSCO's Argentine lithium lake valuation backfires
  • 'Mr. Queen' star Na In-woo to replace Ji Soo in 'River Where the Moon Rises' after bullying scandal 'Mr. Queen' star Na In-woo to replace Ji Soo in 'River Where the Moon Rises' after bullying scandal
  • In new film 'Fighter,' North Korean defector finds hope and meaning through boxing In new film 'Fighter,' North Korean defector finds hope and meaning through boxing
  • 'Penthouse 2' ratings soar to new high 'Penthouse 2' ratings soar to new high
  • March set to be star-studded month March set to be star-studded month
  • Psy's 'Gangnam Style' becomes first K-pop song to hit 4 billion views on YouTube Psy's 'Gangnam Style' becomes first K-pop song to hit 4 billion views on YouTube
DARKROOM
  • Bloody Sunday in Myanmar

    Bloody Sunday in Myanmar

  • Earth is suffering

    Earth is suffering

  • NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars

    NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars

  • Fun in the snow, sledding for everyone

    Fun in the snow, sledding for everyone

  • Our children deserve better: Part 3

    Our children deserve better: Part 3

  • About Korea Times
  • CEO Message
  • Times History
  • Content Sales
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Location
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • 고충처리인
  • hankookilbo
  • Dongwha Group
  • Code of Ethics
Copyright