Seoul’s Little Manila Faces Closure

By Kwon Mee-yoo, Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporters

Jongno District Office in Seoul has told the Filipino community to stop holding a market in Hyehwa-dong, citing complaints from passers-by and residents.

The marketplace, dubbed "Little Manila," first emerged in 1997, and takes place every Sunday for Filipinos after attending a mass at the Hyehwa Catholic Church. About 1,200 to 2,000 Filipinos gather at the marketplace, which some consider as a fine example of Korea's racial harmony. There are about 46,000 Filipinos in Korea, forming the fifth largest ethnic group, following Chinese, Americans, Vietnamese and Japanese.

Father Alvin Parantar, chaplain of the Hyehwa-dong Filipino Catholic Community, who acts as a representative for the ethnic community, confirmed the district office's request, adding that it was like the district kicking them out for its own convenience without providing an alternative site for their gathering.

"The reasons they gave up us was one, they received complaints from neighbors and pedestrians in the area; two, there were concerns about cleanliness and order; three, they want to redevelop the sidewalk and include a waterfall wall in the area; and four, they want to transfer the market to a new multicultural market," the priest told The Korea Times over the phone.

"It's a Philippine way of life. We go to church, then go to the market to buy provisions and meet friends. It's an expression of Philippine culture. The national government has a policy about supporting multiculturalism in Korea, but there seems to be a contradiction with the district office's plans. The church and the market should go together and not be separated," he said.

Outside the church, there are usually 16 vendors selling Philippine products and cooked food. Many Filipinos living not just in Seoul, but also from the provinces, flock to the market to buy products from their home country

Parantar noted the problems raised by the district office can be addressed by the vendors at the market.

"The problems that they raised can be resolved by talking to the vendors. They are willing to cooperate. If they are concerned about the cleanliness and orderliness in the area, they can address the problems. If they want to redevelop the area again, they can integrate the Philippine market according to their plans," Parantar said.

The district office said they have received civil petitions from the neighborhood and they have to take some measures against the Philippine market.

"There were many complaints from the pedestrians and residents. There also is a possibility of accidents as Filipinos flock out of the church after mass into car lanes," said Lee Jong-ju of the district's construction management division.

"Some vendors occupy more than eight meters on the street and it causes an inconvenience to pedestrians."

The district also connected the move to the eviction of other street vendors in Jongno, who were "moved" to "specialized areas" away from the street.

"All street stalls have vanished from Jongno and some people think the same rule should be applied to the Philippine market," he said.

"We talked about the situation with the representatives of the Philippine community three times and gave them some alternatives," Lee said.

The district suggested moving to the grounds of Dongsung High School, but the school refused to participate. Another idea was shifting it to an area in front of the Catholic University of Korea campus, however, it has failed to respond to the suggestion.

"For the best, we want them to move into the multicultural street which is going to open in Nakwon-dong in March. However, they rebuffed the idea since it is isolated from their church and community," Lee said.

He added that the district will try not to use physical force. "The best way would be to transfer them to a designated area, but otherwise we are going to crack down on the market from March," he said.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

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