Ihwa Mural Village in Jongno-gu, Seoul became a tourist attraction because of its pretty murals. However, as the damage caused by tourists increased, some residents erased these murals.

The local government has been accused of failing to provide proper measures and the conflict between the residents and tourists has been growing.

Ihwa-dong was poor area for a long time. Its fate contrasted with the rapid development seen in the rest of Seoul.

However, 10 years ago, the Public Art Promotion Committee was formed and under a 2006 project called ‘Art in City,’ dozens of professional artists cooperated to produce 70 artworks and installation works as part of Urban Renewal Program.

Young people started to go to the village and it became famous after spreading through word of mouth.

This poor area, where the majority of the residents were old, became vigorous and lively and small restaurants and shops were full of customers.

However, two of the murals that were most famous were erased.

As the number of tourists increased, there were two murals that had been erased by the villagers who were unable to tolerate the garbage and noise left by tourists.

Mr. Park, the 55-year-old suspect, was very upset and said “People often asked me why I erased them. I responded that it was so noisy that my life became miserable. I also tried to talk to Jongno-gu Office, but they never made an effort to listen."

Some residents also said, "The village may have become a famous spot, but it is becoming a place where it is difficult for us to live." They added, "Imagine how stressed he must have been to erase the murals.”

(We want to live like a human. Please be quite.)

In order to preserve the old houses in the village, some areas were proposed to be restricted as residential areas where people could not open commercial facilities such as restaurants or shops. The opposition began from the residents in this area.

On the other hand, residents in the commercial area are not happy either. They are demanding restoration of the murals that was erased and were helping bring them business.

As the number of tourists increases, the interest of the merchants whose sales will rise and the residents who will have hard time to live due to tourists will be surely different.

The measures by the local governments who are supposed to coordinate the residents has not been made yet and as a result of that, the number of tourists has slowly decreased and the conflicts between people in the area has deepened.

Urban Renewal New Deal Program in Jeju

The Moon Jae-in government has recently formulated a Urban Renewal New Deal Program that will invest 50 trillion won for five years.

It is highly likely that two areas in Jeju will be chosen as places that will receive investment. However the Jeju government has emphasized that "the life of the residents should be respected."

A discussion was held on the theme of Our Role for Urban Renewal Program in Jeju held at the Ildo 1-dong Residents Center in Jeju City on the afternoon of Sept. 15.

Koh Bong-soo, co-president of the residents' association, said, "First of all, even if it takes time, we have to spent time investigating what the residents really want to do." He then stressed that "improvements should be made while thinking about the needs of residents before the needs of tourists."

After hearing the story of Ihwa Mural Village, The Urban Renewal Program should ensure that the Jeju provincial government and local residents will cooperate each other with respect.