[New Mokdong, When?] ② Parking Spaces per Household '0.6'... Mokdong Fears Parking Issues

Mokdong Built in the 80s, No Underground Parking Despite 100,000 Residents
Weekend External Academy Vehicles Cause Chaos... Residents Forced into Illegal Parking
"Desperate for Reconstruction... Now Want to Live in an Apartment Without Parking Problems"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Minjae] 0.6. This is the number of parking spaces per household in the Mokdong (New Town) apartments. Although most apartments built in the 1980s face similar issues, the parking problem in Mokdong apartments is particularly severe. This is because the apartment complex, home to over 100,000 residents across 26,935 households, has only 16,381 parking spaces available.

It is common for neighbors to shout and fight over parking, and many end up circling the complex multiple times before parking far away on the roadside. Many residents leave early for work to avoid being caught by unmanned enforcement cameras that start operating at 7 a.m.

Conflicts between apartment complexes have also arisen due to parking issues. As cases of parking in other complexes increase due to the shortage of parking spaces, each complex has put up banners prohibiting parking by outsiders. Women's associations and others sometimes instruct management staff to crack down on external vehicles.

On the afternoon of the 28th, 5 to 6 vehicles were illegally parked in a row in the fire truck-only zone within Mokdong New Town Complex 7, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Kwak Minjae]

How serious is the parking shortage? On the afternoon of Saturday the 28th, I toured the Mokdong New Town area in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Although it was a time when many people would be out on weekends, the parking lots of Mokdong apartments were packed with vehicles. Double and triple parking outside the white parking lines seemed so common that it was actually harder to find a properly parked car. The words "Fire Truck Only" inside the yellow no-parking lines were meaningless as the area was filled with parked vehicles.

Most of the 1st to 14th complexes in the Mokdong area of Yangcheon-gu were built in the mid to late 1980s and lack underground parking lots within the complexes, resulting in a severe shortage of parking spaces. Resident A of Mokdong 5th complex said, "Nowadays, even in 30-pyeong (approximately 99 square meters) apartments, it is common for a household to own 2 to 3 cars, but Mokdong complexes only have about 0.6 parking spaces per household, so parking space is extremely insufficient," adding, "I want the reconstruction to happen quickly so I can live in an apartment without parking problems."

Due to the many academies nearby, residents are forced into illegal parking on weekends because of external vehicles. In fact, about twenty vehicles were illegally parked on both sides of the children's protection zone near Mokdong 5th complex that day. Resident B, who ended up parking in the children's protection zone despite knowing it was illegal after failing to find a parking space, said, "Especially on weekends, the parking lots of the 5th and 6th complexes, where many academies are concentrated, are full of parents' pick-up vehicles," expressing frustration, "Our household has only one car, but we cannot park in our own parking lot and have to resort to illegal parking."

On the afternoon of the 28th, dozens of vehicles were illegally parked on both sides of the children's protection zone within the new town area of Mokdong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Kwak Minjae]

The two-lane roads of Mokdong New Town have long become effectively single-lane roads due to illegally parked vehicles. Resident C of Mokdong 6th complex said, "There are so many cars parked on the roads outside the apartments that when even one bus tries to enter in the morning, the road narrows from two-way traffic to one-way, causing severe traffic congestion," expressing concern, "If a fire breaks out, it will be difficult for fire trucks to enter smoothly, which could lead to greater casualties." There were also many voices from residents worried that children playing outside might get into accidents.

Apartment managers said that while demands for crackdowns on illegal parking are increasing due to its prevalence, it is practically difficult to enforce strict measures indiscriminately. A manager of a Mokdong apartment said, "Fundamentally, since these are old apartments with only surface parking lots, parking spaces are extremely insufficient, so even if we try to enforce regulations, it only works temporarily and is not very effective," adding, "We make efforts such as helping to find the license plate numbers of illegally parked cars that did not leave contact information so that the cars can be moved."

On the afternoon of the 28th, banners with phrases regarding the regulation of external vehicles were posted in various places in Mokdong New Town.
[Photo by Kwak Minjae]

An official from the Parking Management Division of Yangcheon-gu Office said, "From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, we focus on cracking down on illegal parking through fixed CCTV and have been working since last year to paint absolute no-parking zones on 16 sidewalk curbs in the alleys of Mokdong New Town," adding, "Nevertheless, due to the absolute shortage of parking spaces in the Mokdong area, it is true that there is strong resident opposition to intensive crackdowns on illegal parking during weekends or late-night hours."

The appearance of Mokdong New Town Complex 5 in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, visited on the afternoon of the 28th.
[Photo by Kwak Minjae]