Moon-side Village With Art
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Less than 10 minutes away from the jungle of tall concrete apartment buildings, the labyrinthine ``daldongne,'' or slum town can be spotted, located at the steep foot of the mountains surrounding Seoul.
A small girl climbs up the narrow, serpentine alleyway, each step growing heavier and wearier, but cheerful drawings of sunflowers and puppies along the wall greet her. A bus steers toward the summit of old houses, piled up and leaning against one another, like a time machine to the past.
Gaemi (Ant) Village, Hongje-dong is one of the city's few remaining daldongnae. The village sprouted up in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-53) and it was where the poor started settling down.
Many lived in shabbily constructed tents that resembled Native American tepees in Western movies, and so the area was nicknamed, ``Indian Town.'' It then became known as Ant Village after the hardworking residents.
An 81-year-old, identified as Jo, has lived here for more than 46 years. ``Before we didn't have a faucet so we had to go all the way to the bottom of the hill to get water. Entire families lived together, crowded in one room, but the town was torn down about four times and lots of people moved out. We're situated along the skirt of Mt. Inwang so it's really cold during the winter but the air is fresh,'' said Jo.
Ant Village is home to some 210 households and 400 residents. In contrast to the ever-changing fa?ade of downtown Seoul, the neighborhood retains remnants of pre-modern Seoul ― here there are houses that are more than 40 years old, those with gates squeezed between rocks, ones without boundaries and even one with a small creek running beneath it.
But beginning last August, with the consent of residents, Seodaemun-gu government, Kumho Construction and 128 volunteers from five universities have given the area a facelift. The project did not build new houses but art students embellished exteriors with thematic drawings and logos representing family, hope and eco-friendliness.
The town started attracted visitors from other parts of the city, who the shared the pictures they took online.
Kim Su-min, a junior at Seoul National University, learned about the town while surfing the Internet. ``I'm amazed to see that such a place still exists in Seoul. It's so different. But at the same time, although you can't judge something by its looks, it's a bit sad to see houses in such extreme conditions.'' Lee Hyo-ju, a colleague of Kim's, said that it's such a big contrast to the rich neighborhoods nearby.
Meanwhile, many hikers can be spotted because there is a hiking trail for Mt. Inwang that cuts through the village, Independence Gate and Sajik-dong.
``I wish I had been home so that there would be more drawings. I don't mind the visitors, as long as they don't stomp on my vegetable garden,'' said one resident about the influx of tourists.