Haebangchon: The Silent Erasure of Liberation Village
Updated: Jan 18, 2025
Name of Building/s: Haebangchon
Architect/Designer: N/A
Date: 1940s
Materials: Brick, wood, glass, metal
Location: Yongsan-gu (용산구)
Haebangchon (해방촌) has, for the most part, stayed the same since its construction in the 1940s. The neighborhood holds a special place in people’s heart, proven by the name it was given: haebang (해방) meaning “liberation” or “freedom” and chon (촌) meaning village. However, once a lively safe haven for refugees and migrants, now faces its unavoidable end of bulldozers and excavators.
The area is currently in the process of a mass redevelopment effort, with the district office approving the project in June 2023. The project affects more than 8,300 households, as well as all people near the area as local businesses like markets, convenience stores, and social welfare facilities have been forced to close down to motivate more residents to leave the area. The once vibrant neighborhood has become a ghost town.
Since residents have been forced to relocate and abandon the area, they are leaving behind a place thriving with history and memories. Winding alley ways trace uneven paths up the mountain, made from stones worn smooth by generations of activity. Remnants of the past remain survived by the traditional Korean houses, now laying in ruin with sagging roofs and weathered exteriors. This was once a home for post-war refugees who first sought solace on this hillside, for families displaced by politics, and for a Korea still finding itself amongst the rubble.
But how is this important? How is this different from all the other neighborhoods Seoul has erased and rebuilt?
Time and time again, the landscape of Seoul is constantly redeveloped in ways, where it has forgotten its roots and history. Haebangchon is another example of the government’s disregard to Korea’s rich, cultural heritage. Significant historical sites have once again been dismissed, such as the shrine, built in 1943, with the only traces that remain of this period being the 108 stairs that had once led up to the shrine, or the alleyway Sinheung market, opened in 1969. Now, these reminders of the past will be demolished without a second thought.
The Haebangchon area is to be rebuilt as a new residential area. With a budget of three trillion won, around 197 apartment buildings will be constructed in the area alongside 27,000 square meters of park space and 13,000 square meters of social welfare facilities. Yet, there is no attempt at keeping alive the legacy of the neighborhood. In the race toward progress, Haebangchon becomes yet another casualty of development, its history erased, and its memories left to linger only in the minds of those who once knew it as home. In the end, Haebangchon’s true loss lies not in its demolition, but in the gradual erasure of its life force, a loss that no new apartment block can ever replace.
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