[The Future of Seochon]⑧ "The Important Thing Is to Preserve 'Seochon-ness'" - Seol Jae-woo & Kim Min-ha, Local Route CEOs

20-Year Seochon Native Seol Jae-woo and Kim Min-ha
"What Needs Changing Is Not 'Seochon' but the 'Perspective on Seochon'"
"The Village Must Embrace Diversity"

Co-CEOs Seol Jae-woo and Kim Min-ha, who founded the social enterprise 'Localroot' supporting the settlement of small business owners. The two met as neighbors in Seochon and became business partners promoting Seochon together 20 years later.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seohee Lee] Old brick walls and a shop entrance sign casually handwritten by hand. Seochon is a neighborhood in the heart of Seoul, yet it feels detached from the city. The quaint shops lining the narrow alleys evoke the unique charm of Seochon.

On the 20th, I met Kim Minha, CEO of Local Route, at WeWork in Gwanghwamun. She described Seochon as a "village where time flows slowly." After returning from six years of studying abroad in her mid-20s, Kim faced a Seoul that had changed and felt unfamiliar. However, in Seochon, the old atmosphere remained intact. Kim recalled, "Unlike downtown Seoul, where franchise stores are lined up, Seochon has hardly changed except for the opening of a Starbucks."

Kim, who realized Seochon's charm only after turning twenty, founded the social enterprise Local Route last December with another 'Seochon native,' CEO Seol Jae-woo, to support small business owners in the Seochon area. Since its establishment, they have been working to help local small business owners settle and revitalize the local economy. We met with Local Route CEOs Seol Jae-woo and Kim Minha to hear about the changes in Seochon after the Blue House opening and their hopes for Seochon's future.

--You mentioned that Local Route's goal is to establish 'Seochon-ness.' What exactly is 'Seochon-ness'?

▶(Seol Jae-woo) 'Seochon-ness' refers to the lifestyle of Seochon centered around small business owners. Seochon has a high proportion of small business owners, reaching 98%. Yet, there was no proper network for solidarity among small business owners. Local Route provides a network for communication between small business owners and between small business owners and local residents. Our goal is for 'Seochon-ness' to spread and take root not only in Seochon but also in other areas. Although South Korea has a very high proportion of self-employed people, network services among them are lacking. We hope Local Route can help address this issue.

--The Blue House has opened to the public. What has been the reaction of local residents through the Local Route network since the opening?

▶(Kim Minha) For small business owners, reactions seem mixed. The gamjatang (pork bone soup) restaurant I visited today used to have many regular customers among Blue House staff and security guards. But after the Blue House opened, regular customers stopped coming, so they now only operate until lunch and then close. On the other hand, restaurants catering mainly to the MZ generation and tourists are hopeful that increased foot traffic will boost sales. According to a real estate agent, many new shops are trying to move in, so there are almost no vacancies. Of course, the best scenario is for all Seochon shops to benefit equally from the Blue House opening; otherwise, imbalances among shops could occur.

▶(Seol Jae-woo) From the internal network, it seems a higher proportion of residents are concerned. With more people, there are worries that Seochon's unique atmosphere might be damaged. Another point is that Seochon was originally a neighborhood preferred by women due to safety and security reasons. However, after the Blue House opened, not only did the resident security guards disappear, but external tourists also increased. This has raised safety concerns among female residents. Conversely, some residents view the Blue House opening positively. Before the opening, various restrictions prevented full use of the village land. Now, there is hope for new auxiliary facilities such as children's playgrounds and pet walking paths.

Seol Jae-woo, CEO of Localroot, meeting and talking with a reporter.

--As Seochon residents and local small business owners, what are your opinions?

▶(Seol Jae-woo) Personally, I think the Blue House opening was done hastily. The residents here have lived their whole lives alongside the Blue House. But without even minimal preparation time, the neighborhood suddenly changed. Perhaps because of this, ideas about Seochon's future that have appeared in the media?such as creating an eco-museum or establishing a master plan?feel inadequately prepared. Rather than flooding with such plans, I believe we need to 'leave space' and reflect more thoughtfully.

▶(Kim Minha) Watching people play janggu (traditional drum) inside the Blue House and seeing tour buses lined up made me feel like the neighborhood was being 'stripped bare.' Especially since local residents' feelings have not yet settled, it seemed only outsiders were excited. In foreign countries, even building one structure is considered over 10 or 20 years. I question whether such careful consideration was given before opening the Blue House. In line with President Yoon's slogan 'Back to the People,' I hope from now on public opinions will be properly gathered so that the Blue House can establish itself as a place that meets the people's needs.

--(Regarding Seol CEO's comment) What do you mean by 'leaving space'?

▶(Seol Jae-woo) It means that before viewing Seochon as a place to 'utilize,' we should see it as a place related to the lives of local residents. Seochon is not just a developable area but a hometown where residents have rooted and lived their entire lives. However, many attempts to develop Seochon focus only on tourism or external perspectives without considering the inconveniences residents might face. I feel that Korea's perspective on local areas is still backward. How to utilize Seochon should naturally be discussed within the process of 'solving' the inconveniences residents experience. Many current ideas are out of order in this regard.

--Seochon is a place where desires for development and preservation collide. How should the balance be maintained?

▶(Seol Jae-woo) Development and preservation are 'hardware' perspectives. It's hard to say definitively which is more necessary from a hardware standpoint because even within the 15 Seochon villages, some areas need development while others need preservation. However, regardless of development or preservation, I believe Seochon's unique lifestyle?Seochon-ness?must be preserved. The important thing is not the hardware perspective but the 'software' perspective. Few neighborhoods cherish and love their area as much as Seochon does. When viewing Seochon from a software perspective, whether to develop or preserve is less important.

Another point is that I hope Seochon moves toward increasing its 'relationship population.' The term 'relationship population' originated in Japan and refers to counting not only local residents but also outsiders who interact closely with the area as part of the population. I hope Seochon's lifestyle becomes established so that the number of people who genuinely care for Seochon as part of this relationship population increases.

※ Relationship Population

The relationship population is a concept introduced by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2019 to address regional population decline from a new perspective. It includes not only the 'resident population' who newly move to the area and the 'exchange population' who visit for travel and tourism but also those who maintain various forms of relationships with the region.

The appearance of the 'Singyodong 12ju' building by architect Won Heeyeon (Photo provided by screen capture)

--Lastly, what are your hopes for Seochon's future?

▶(Kim Minha) I hope for a new concept of urban regeneration that combines hardware sophistication while preserving the software as it is. Of course, government-level support and policies are needed to help Seochon maintain its unique value. I hope true urban development that considers the voices of local residents, not reckless development, begins in Seochon.

▶(Seol Jae-woo) There is a neighborhood called Singyo-dong, one of the closest to the Blue House. It was a place with many regulations, but after regulations were eased, multi-family houses were built indiscriminately, resulting in a mess. However, architect Won Hee-yeon renovated one of these indiscriminately built houses and named it 'Singyo-dong 12 Houses,' turning it into a building with unique charm. This is an example showing that 'weaknesses' can become 'strengths.' I hope Seochon becomes a village where diverse personalities coexist. To achieve that, what should we do? Rather than Seochon changing, I think the way we view Seochon must change first.