Jangseungpo, Which Sheltered Hungnam Evacuees... Revamped Under Urban Regeneration New Deal Project

The movie Ode to My Father about the Hungnam evacuation

Jangseungpo in Geoje-si, Gyeongnam, which sheltered numerous refugees as the destination of the Hungnam evacuation operation during the Korean War, is undergoing a makeover through the Urban Regeneration New Deal project.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Geoje City announced that they will complete the first housing-support type urban regeneration New Deal project aimed at improving low-rise residential areas in Jangseungpo. This project is a type of urban regeneration that focuses on repairing houses and supporting public facilities closely connected to residents, mainly in low-rise, aging residential areas.

Jangseungpo is a village where the Meredith Victory ship, which carried 14,000 refugees during the Hungnam evacuation operation in the Korean War, arrived, preserving the life and sorrows of the refugee period.

When Jangseungpo was promoted to city status in 1989, its population once reached 50,000 as a hinterland city for Okpo Daewoo Shipbuilding, but after being incorporated into Geoje City in 1995 and the decline of the shipbuilding industry, it experienced social and economic decline.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Geoje City promoted the Urban Regeneration New Deal project centered on Jangseungpo Port to revitalize the aging residential areas of Jangseungpo, which had been stagnant.

Since Jangseungpo has many low-rise residential areas formed during the refugee period, the project was designed focusing on public facilities closely connected to daily life utilizing the natural landscape.

For 160 aging houses over 30 years old, house repairs and roof improvement projects were carried out, and in areas prone to frequent flooding, drainage pipes and backflow prevention facilities were installed. Through the maintenance of idle land, a cultural walking path called 'Songguyoungsin Somang-gil' was created to tell the story of the lives of Jangseungpo refugees.

Geoje City will hold a completion ceremony for the Urban Regeneration New Deal project at Jangseungpo Port at 2 p.m. on the 18th. Mayor Byeon Gwang-yong of Geoje emphasized, "We will actively support Jangseungpo to strengthen the local community and acquire sustainable competitiveness based on the Urban Regeneration New Deal project."

Kim Gyu-cheol, head of the Urban Regeneration Project Planning Group at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The Jangseungpo Urban Regeneration New Deal project is being carried out in the village where refugees from the Hungnam evacuation operation began to settle," and added, "We expect it to become a nationwide exemplary case worthy of a leading project."

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