[Interview] Chaehyunil, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, "We Will Broaden the Path of Coexistence in Quiet Street Vendor Removal"

Accelerating the Creation of Pedestrian-Friendly Streets in Remaining Sections of Yeongjung-ro and Yeongdeungpo-ro... Achieving Communication and Cooperation with 3 No's (No Conflicts, Protest Songs, or Swearing) to Remove Street Vendors, Building a City Where Ordinary People Can Walk Comfortably

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “The street vendor removal site in Yeongdeungpo-gu is a ‘3-no site’ with no physical clashes, no protest songs, and no common swearing or shouting.”

In an interview with this publication, Cha Hyun-il, the mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “In 2019, we reorganized the street vendors in front of Yeongdeungpo Station without any physical conflict for the first time in 50 years,” and added, “Riding on that momentum, we have recently begun full-scale maintenance of the remaining sections of Yeongjung-ro and the Yeongdeungpo-ro area.”

Mayor Cha cited ‘determination’ along with ‘communication and cooperation’ as the core values of the street vendor maintenance and pedestrian environment improvement project. The trigger for Mayor Cha’s decision to reorganize the street vendors on Yeongjung-ro was the residents’ petition called ‘Yeongdeungpo 1st Street.’ ‘Yeongdeungpo 1st Street’ is a communication channel benchmarked after the Blue House’s ‘National Petition.’ It is a system where the mayor responds to petitions agreed upon by more than 1,000 residents.

The first petition to meet the requirements was the reorganization of street vendors in front of Yeongdeungpo Station. Within eight days of registering the petition, about 1,300 people agreed. Mayor Cha recalled, “Many residents had been inconvenienced by the street vendors on Yeongjung-ro, but no one had attempted to improve the situation. Although fierce opposition was expected and it was not easy to make a decision, I thought it was the mayor’s duty to reflect what the residents wanted in the district administration, so I made the decision.”

Along with the decision to reorganize the street vendors, ‘communication’ with the merchants began. “Since street vendors’ livelihoods were at stake, bringing them to the negotiation table was the most difficult part. Comprehensive agreements were often overturned, and dozens of vendors even occupied the district office corridors.”

Nevertheless, after more than 100 continuous persuasion and communication sessions, a ‘Street Vendor Coexistence Autonomous Committee’ was formed, including street vendors, nearby shop merchants, and the district office, to find a compromise. As a result, for street vendors with personal assets under 350 million KRW or combined assets under 400 million KRW for couples, an agreement was made to maintain standardized street shops after removing the street stalls.

The removal site through communication was “quiet, unlike other removal sites, almost like a moving day.” After the quiet removal, 70 street stalls were transformed into 26 street shops, and Yeongjung-ro was reborn as a pleasant walking street befitting the ‘Open Yeongdeungpo.’

In July, the second phase of the Yeongjung-ro pedestrian environment improvement project officially began. The project section includes the remaining section of Yeongjung-ro, a 300m stretch from Yeongdeungpo Market Intersection to Yeongdeungpo Market Station, and a 640m section on both sides of the road from Yeongdeungpo Market Intersection to Yeongdeungpo Rotary. On the 13th of last month, the biggest obstacle, street vendor reorganization, was carried out. The reorganization was completed in just over two hours without any conflict, ending with water cleaning. Then, on the 22nd, the removal of authorized sidewalk business facilities was conducted. This effectively completed the street vendor reorganization. The district plans to reorganize 31 street stalls into 15 street shops and temporarily remove sidewalk business facilities for repainting before repositioning them.

Additionally, the district completed the cutting of 163 plane trees that had missed their replacement timing. Since plane trees pose a high risk of falling during strong winds and incur high maintenance costs, they will be removed and replaced with 112 Korean evodia trees and 47 ginkgo trees. In narrow spaces unsuitable for tree planting, flower beds will be created to serve as resting areas for residents.

Furthermore, by October, all sidewalk blocks will be replaced, and LED streetlights and pedestrian lights will be newly installed. Subway ventilation shafts and distribution boxes will be repainted, and CCTV cameras will be increased for residents’ safety. After completing water, sewage, and electrical facility construction, street shops will be arranged to complete the pedestrian-friendly street.

Moreover, besides Yeongjung-ro, the district is also carrying out pedestrian-friendly street projects in the Daerim Digital-ro 35-gil and 37-gil areas, as well as the Yangsan-ro area near Yeongjung Elementary School. Mayor Cha Hyun-il said while promoting the second phase, “Thanks to the trust built in district administration after witnessing the changes on Yeongjung-ro in 2019, the maintenance speed inevitably accelerated,” and added, “We will expand the paths where ordinary residents can walk comfortably and create an ‘Open Yeongdeungpo.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.