[Walking and Thinking of Seoul] Dreaming of a Chinatown Filled with Respect and Peace

[Asia Economy] In 2022, I stayed in Seoul for quite a long time and walked through many neighborhoods. I walked freely wherever my feet took me, including places I had never been before. The most impressive place was Daerim-dong. As I began to take an interest in Korea's multicultural policies, I started hearing about foreign residential areas being established here and there, and Daerim-dong's Chinatown was mentioned every time. Having visited the Chinatowns in Garibong-dong and Yeonnam-dong several times, my curiosity grew even more.

Getting off at Daerim Station and walking toward Daerim Central Market, Chinese signs began to appear. Chinese was heard naturally. Entering the market, Chinese was seen and heard more than Korean. Chinese food products, restaurants, currency exchange offices, visa consultation centers, pharmacies, real estate agencies, and convenience stores were densely packed. Going further into the neighborhood, multi-family residential areas appeared, and at the Dasarang Children's Park bench, elderly men and women were conversing in Chinese.

Statistics show that about 40% of the total population in Daerim 2 and 3-dong hold Chinese nationality. Among them, 90% are ethnic Koreans from China, known as Joseonjok. After Korea and China established diplomatic relations in 1992, these people began coming to Korea, initially settling near Guro Industrial Complex in Garibong-dong. Then, in the early 2000s, due to redevelopment and rising real estate prices, they moved to Daerim-dong, forming a large community centered around the Central Market. There are also Chinatowns in Yeonnam-dong and Yeonhui-dong, mostly inhabited by Chinese residents who have been there since the Japanese colonial period. Among the Chinese living there, many emigrated to third countries such as Taiwan or the United States due to the Park Chung-hee regime's oppression of foreign merchants. Although they hold Chinese nationality, they did not return to China. Those who neither left for China nor a third country and still live there are far fewer in proportion compared to Daerim-dong. It is questionable whether these areas should even be called Chinatowns.

Moreover, Han Chinese, who can be considered the mainstream of Chinese society, hardly live in Yeonnam-dong or Yeonhui-dong, let alone Daerim-dong or Garibong-dong. Students coming to Korea for study prefer areas near universities rather than these neighborhoods. As a result, Seoul's representative Chinatowns are inhabited by descendants of the Korean and Chinese diasporas that appeared in the early 20th century.

After the Park Chung-hee regime's policy of suppressing the Chinese community in the 1960s, the only Chinatown was in Incheon. Although it shrank as many Chinese left, interest in China increased in Korean society after Korea-China diplomatic relations were established in 1992, and there was a clear atmosphere of positive future prospects. In 2003, Incheon City began developing the area as a tourist attraction, and it has since become a popular tourist destination. However, as a 2007 New York Times article titled "The One Thing Missing from Chinatown Is Chinese" pointed out, Incheon Chinatown has almost no Chinese residents, including the Chinese community, and has become a theme park for tourists.

In 2008, Seoul City announced plans to create a Chinatown around Exit 3 of Hongdae Station in Yeonnam-dong. The plan was to develop specialized commercial areas reflecting the historical images of the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China. Although the density of Chinese residents around there is higher than in other areas, it is difficult to claim it as a Chinatown just because a few Chinese-run restaurants are thriving. The consensus was that the location was chosen mainly due to its proximity to Hongdae and the rapidly commercializing Yeonnam-dong.

But why did Seoul want to create a Chinatown? During the Park Chung-hee era, it was rather a point of pride that there was no Chinatown. It was often portrayed as Korea's strong national spirit preventing other ethnic groups from taking root, unlike anywhere else in the world where Chinatowns exist. However, after democratization and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial crisis, globalization became a major social theme, and it was concluded that a global city must have a Chinatown. Since then, efforts to benchmark other cities intensified. In other words, Chinatown emerged as a requirement for becoming a "global city."

Fifteen years have passed since then. Yeonnam-dong Chinatown has not materialized. The Joseonjok population in Daerim-dong and Garibong-dong sharply declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is uncertain how long these areas can still be called Chinatowns. Since the late 2010s, Korean sentiments toward China have cooled, and as the pandemic prolonged, human exchanges also decreased. No one now thinks that Seoul must have a Chinatown. In fact, there may be more people who think there should not be a Chinatown.

Meanwhile, as enthusiasm for globalization subsides and competition and tensions between countries intensify, migration and immigration continue unabated. Immigrants in traditional immigration countries like the United States and Canada have recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Korea is no different. Although the foreign population declined for the first time in 2020, the decrease was much smaller in 2021, and government policies actively accepting foreigners suggest that the number will increase soon.

As times change, the standards for global cities have shifted from theme parks related to specific countries or ethnicities to pursuing peaceful coexistence and mutual respect among diverse people. Therefore, whether Seoul has a Chinatown or not is less important than how peacefully and meaningfully Chinese people can live in Korean society. Having passed through the exclusiveness and excessive nationalism of the Park Chung-hee era, Seoul should better understand the need for respect and peace.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with organically formed foreign communities. It is their choice and freedom to create commercial districts and live in groups wherever they want, and it is not strange if someone visits those places as tourist attractions. However, I want to emphasize that respect and peace should be prioritized over attempts by the state or local governments to artificially create theme parks. Seoul is no longer a city that follows by benchmarking others. It is already a global city capable of leading new themes and trends and contributing to human progress.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University