Haebangchon's dual protections fade away

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The Korea Times

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Tue, December 5, 2023 | 12:07

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Haebangchon's dual protections fade away

Posted : 2023-07-02 02:03

Updated : 2023-07-03 10:31

Downhill from central Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood, buildings inside U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan can be seen, Nov. 13, 2018. To the left is Dragon Hill Lodge, and to the right is the Korean Ministry of National Defense compound, which has since become the presidential office. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

This article is the third part in a three-part series about the past, present and future of central Seoul's Haebangchon (HBC) neighborhood.

By Jon Dunbar

There's one big factor driving changes in Yongsan District including Haebangchon (HBC), and it's something that's inevitable. The redeployment of U.S. military forces out of U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan down south to USAG Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, means that this is no longer a military area.

"In Seoul, demilitarization has led to urban dispossessions ― which is not how most people think about it," said Bridget Martin, a Croft Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Korean Studies at the University of Mississippi, who has studied U.S. Forces Korea redeployment extensively.

The 2004 announcement that USAG Yongsan would be converted into a park sparked a wave of real estate speculation, according to Martin.

U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan sits mostly empty behind buildings in Haebangchon, June 20. In the distance, highrises around Sinyongsan and Samgakji areas can be seen. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"Not only were military neighborhoods stigmatized due to the prevalence of the sex industry there, but with the exit of thousands of Americans from the base the district also wanted to find a new basis for the local economy," she said. "The district office attempted to change the urban identity of the entire area surrounding Yongsan Garrison by promoting local neighborhoods as hubs of 'global' and 'international' culture ― but without the military and without the sex industry. That was the context within which Itaewon got Global Food Street ― where the Itaewon tragedy occurred ― and within which Gyeongnidan became a hub for hipsters and foodies."

She also pointed to other large-scale redevelopment projects in the area, including the demolition of a large red-light district in front of Yongsan Station, and plans for Hannam New Town, an affluent apartment complex to replace much of working-class Bogwang-dong south of Itaewon.

A rendering of the proposed Hannam New Town, which will wipe out most of the working-class Bogwang-dong neighborhood, is displayed in the window of a real estate office. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Martin pointed out that HBC has been spared the large-scale redevelopment that has affected those other areas. "At least compared to other neighborhoods, HBC has been largely spared from aggressive state-promoted development and class displacement," she said.

Realtor Jee Kim confirmed that HBC has mostly escaped the bulldozers so far due to development restrictions. Due to its adjacency to USAG Yongsan, it was designated as a Military Facilities Protection Area. But even as restrictions around the base lifted as the Yongsan Relocation Plan plodded along, HBC's location on the slope of Mount Nam also placed it in a Landscape Protection Area. These double protections have especially hindered redevelopment plans.

"It used to be that way," Kim pointed out. "However, recently, Seoul City announced changes to loosen the restriction of the Mount Nam height protection area, so that could affect the changes to HBC."

N Seoul Tower on top of Mount Nam a prominent presence over central Seoul's Haebangchon (HBC neighborhood, Nov. 13, 2018 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

As the base fades into history and a development-happy mayor is in City Hall, the development restrictions which had the side effect of shielding the community from excessive changes are also vanishing.

With the anticipated transformation of the empty garrison into Yongsan Park in the coming years, speculation is already driving major changes to the HBC real estate market. Change is inevitable, sooner or later.

"Especially, with the opening of the park right beside HBC, I think both the commercial and residential markets will change but don't know when exactly," Kim said. "However I cannot say it will happen everything at the same time ― it will happen little by little, but it will happen sooner or later. It can last in this state five to 10 years or it can change within five years."

jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr