Evictions are underway in central Seoul's Bogwang-dong for the Hannam New Town redevelopment project, April 21. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
The curtains are set to close around a large neighborhood south of central Seoul's Itaewon, the first phase of the Hannam New Town redevelopment project.
Hannam Zone 3, the first of possibly four to commence, comprises parts of Bogwang-dong and Hannam-dong, separated by a narrow, tall ridge now filled with abandoned storefronts, some with their windows shattered. Unwanted furniture is piled along the alleyways, and scavengers prowl around during the day, loading whatever's salvageable into their trucks. The green 01 village bus still weaves through the area but without passengers on this part of its route. As night falls, the streetlights still switch on, but the windows of the area's many homes and shops remain dark. Everywhere, nature is creeping back in, but its lease is only temporary before full demolition begins.
Discarded furniture is piled up in front of a closed apartment in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, July 6. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
About seven months of large-scale evictions wrapped up last month, and almost all the area's residents have moved on. The area was depopulated without violence, but the resulting derelict cityscape still feels more unsettling than calm, like a taped-off police crime scene, or a city evacuated after a disaster or the ruins of an ancient civilization wiped out by an invading force. After decades of delays, Seoul's most culturally and economically diverse neighborhood begins its inevitable transformation into its most affluent.
A sign on a front gate marks a house as empty in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, July 6. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
"It needs to happen. It should have happened decades ago. Is it kind of sad that it will inevitably become a copy/paste of other uber-rich areas in Korea? Kind of," said a Canadian national who wished to be identified only by the name Gordon. "It would be nice if it could be developed with a new character of its own, but what can you do? It is some of the most central, most valuable land in Seoul, if not the entire country. It can't remain as a dump that resembles 1960s Korea. Will it lead to 'improvements for people'? Sure, those who can afford it."
A refrigerator is balanced in the doorway to a closed building in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, July 6. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Gordon, who moved out of the area last October, described the view from his area, being able to see luxury apartments such as Hannam The Hills and Nine One Hannam on one side, and in the other direction was the new presidential office. Meanwhile, parts of his own neighborhood felt like the 1960s, and sections of the hillside were being used for urban farming. "It was kind of surreal to walk through the area," he said.
Some of the poorest and richest housing in central Seoul's Hannam-dong can be seen from the same place, March 17. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
He and his Korean wife were among the earliest departers, as their lease was up for renewal with less than a year remaining before the place was to close down.
Gordon told The Korea Times he felt they were treated well enough when they moved out last October.
"It went relatively smoothly. We left in October, quite far ahead of the May deadline, so I think it made it easier for sure. As tenants, we received 1.8 million to cover our moving fee. If we lived there even longer we would have gotten an even larger payout, even if we didn't own the property," he said. "In order to receive the moving fee there were many steps to go through. My wife had to wait at the association office for four hours one afternoon to register. Then on the day we moved out there were things that needed to be done to get the 1.8 million won. Cut the gas line, inspect for trash and leftover furniture and disconnect the electricity for good. I guess all to ensure that no one else was able to move in after us."
A truck is loaded with the belongings of someone moving out of central Seoul's Bogwang-dong, March 30. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
He lived in a building that had originally been constructed in 2006, much newer than others in the area. According to him, his unit was originally worth 300 million won, but it was worth well over $1 million when they finally moved out. He expects his landlord got a payout considerably larger than that.
"Anyone who owned property anywhere in the area made off like a bandit!" he said. "I was in a realtor's office a few years ago. I overheard them talking on the phone. A 6 pyeong (20 square meters) area of land near my house was sold for 900 million won. Insanity!"
The Han River is visible from the top of the hill in Hannam-dong, June 14. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
He said that from the time they moved into the area in 2016, there was already talk that they would only have a couple years before having to move again. But they still stayed in the area for years longer than expected due to delays. Once the eviction period was announced, they moved out rather than stay for less than another full year. He is glad to have moved out so early, before the process became too chaotic.
"The longer people waited, I heard, prices were being raised and appointments for moving companies were becoming impossible to arrange," he said.
People gather for an eviction party at Yong Art in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, April 20. Participating artists here organized the 2023 Hannam Art Archiving Project last October to bid farewell to the neighborhood. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
As more people left Bogwang-dong, they looked for housing in other affordable neighborhoods nearby, such as Itaewon and Haebangchon. This put added pressure on the local housing market, especially catering to foreign residents.
"Everywhere else in Yongsan is way more expensive," Gordon said. "I assume a ton of the residents in the area now live significantly further away."
Slippers are left at the entrance to an evicted apartment in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, May 23. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
The diverse communities that developed in the area have consequently been largely dispersed. In its heyday, the whole region had enjoyed prosperity due to its location next to U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. In its shadow, diverse communities thrived — including originally Korean migrants from all across the peninsula, Koreans who earned a living supporting the U.S. military community, foreign residents from around the world and sexual minorities.
"The population was a mix of young, kind of hipster-ish Koreans, super old Koreans who had lived there for like 100 years, a large foreign population of mostly Middle Eastern and Africans and some Europeans and North Americans," Gordon said.
But with the base now mostly vacated, the American military's spending power has also moved on, and the area isn't the geographically and socially isolated enclave it used to be. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so do development companies.
Streetlights are still on in central Seoul's Bogwang-dong, May 23. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
There have been various delays as well as changes to the Hannam New Town project. It was announced last year that the Zone 3 redevelopment would close over 8,000 households and build enough new housing for only 6,000. While the new housing is all likely to be prohibitively expensive, redesigns were introduced in order to offer apartments as small as 20 pyeong (66 square meters), to ensure some form of economic diversity.
The minarets of Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon are seen lit up uphill from a mostly evicted neighborhood, late at night on June 22. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Fragile diversity
While the Hannam Zone 3 area will be fenced off and destroyed over the coming years, the surrounding areas will be relatively spared — but that doesn't mean they're immune to change.
They are also likely to suffer a drop in foot traffic of nearby local residents on their way to and from home for the next few years, as the area moves from a central location to the outer edge. The nearby construction may add extra disruptions, due to sound pollution and an increase in heavy vehicles using the surrounding streets.
When the new residents of Hannam New Town move in, the surrounding urban fabric will have to cope with their needs. There may even be conflicts if the new residents opt for a not-in-my-backyard mindset toward the existing establishments, which also include gay bars, transgender bars and an HIV testing clinic.
A mannequin head is left in a box inside a closed house in central Seoul's Bogwang-dong, March 30. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
The LGBTQ community has been fading from the area in recent years, opting for newer, trendier areas.
"Due to the redevelopment, I'm seeing a lot of Bogwang-dong/Hannam-dong residents leaving the area and therefore the businesses in the area getting affected — shutting down, not doing well in general," said Heezy Yang, a well-known member of Itaewon's LGBTQ community.
He has seen major changes to the local LGBTQ community, which has centered on an alleyway colorfully named "Homo Hill," as the area pivots from serving a local residential community to welcoming outside visitors. He has seen at least one gay bar there close down after being open for over a decade.
"As a queer person, Homo Hill and its gay bars played a huge role when I was figuring out who I was and how to live in my 20s. That's where I met a lot of the community members that are still dear to me and close to me as well. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Halloween disaster and general gentrification have already been huge hits to the gay (and) queer businesses and community. The redevelopment would be another and probably a bigger hit to the community."
Yang lives in the neighborhood, but his area has not received clear eviction orders yet. He said he is living in uncertainty of when he will eventually have to move out.
Renovations are underway at the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, April 20. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
The familiar areas in the tourist district around Itaewon have escaped redevelopment, as has the Seoul Central Mosque, which should shield the smaller buildings around it from large-scale redevelopment. The restaurants on Halal Hill are holding on, preparing for a long wait until Hannam's transformation is complete.