Seocho-gu Transforms Illegal Dumping Site into a 'Healing Spot'

Creating Exercise and Rest Areas on Neglected Land

Chebiji (surplus land reclaimed by the government or local authorities) that had been neglected in the city center has been transformed into a safe and pleasant resting space for residents.

Seocho-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 23rd that it has newly created a resting area for residents at 458-9 Bangbae-dong, which had been damaging the urban landscape and raising safety concerns due to illegal dumping of trash.

This site was public property with barriers installed, restricting resident access for a long time. Additionally, the installation of utility poles and the narrow, elongated shape of the land made it difficult to utilize the space effectively.

In response, Seocho-gu opened the site to transform it into a space that residents can comfortably use and collected residents' opinions to prevent illegal dumping. According to a resident survey, 96.3% supported the creation of a resting area, leading to the installation of exercise facilities and a pagora (shade structure) as resting spaces for residents. Various trees such as azaleas and Euonymus alatus were also planted to improve the urban landscape.

Seocho-gu stated that it is making efforts to convert difficult-to-manage chebiji into spaces for residents. In March, administrative enforcement was carried out against facilities that had been illegally occupied for over 20 years around 1323-9 Seocho-dong, and a resting area for residents is being created.

District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We will continue to communicate with local residents to manage chebiji and other sites cleanly and safely and strive to create spaces for residents.”

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