Gwanak-gu, Illegal Street Vendors at Shindaebang Station Tied Up for 40 Years Cleared

Conversion of Disorderly Street Food Stalls and Illegal Vendors into Permitted Businesses in Front of Shindaebang Station Exits 1 and 2
Promoting Coexistence through Institutional Management of Livelihood Street Vendors
Creating a Specialized Street with Safe Walking Environment and Community Rest Areas for Residents

Expected Appearance After the Creation of the Shindaebang Station Specialized Street

Sangjeonbyeokhae (桑田碧海), meaning that mulberry fields have turned into a blue sea, refers to a change so drastic that the world becomes unrecognizable.

A 100-meter section in front of Shindaebang Station (both directions at exits 1 and 2) in Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Junhee) will be newly transformed into a pedestrian-friendly street to the extent of achieving Sangjeonbyeokhae.

Illegal street stalls near Shindaebang Station have been disorderly proliferating for 40 years since the subway station opened in 1984, hindering residents’ pedestrian rights and the streetscape. Additionally, there was a risk of safety accidents caused by electricity and gas, but the issue was difficult to resolve easily as it was directly linked to the livelihoods of the stall vendors.

Accordingly, the district held dozens of meetings with the street vendors, continuously seeking various ways to secure safe pedestrian rights for residents while also protecting the vendors’ right to livelihood.

As a result, the district reached an agreement to regulate illegal stalls according to Seoul city’s permit conversion standards and to develop the Shindaebang Station area into a specialized street.

Since early this year, the district has held over 50 meetings, including general meetings with street vendors, representative meetings, individual interviews, and reviews of similar cases in other districts. Through these meetings, the district steadily persuaded and communicated with the vendors.

Based on this, the district established the ‘Basic Plan for the Creation of a Specialized Street for Shindaebang Station Street Vendors’ last September. Afterwards, a ‘Win-Win Council’ consisting of street vendors, residents, professors, and experts was formed to discuss detailed project implementation.

The district will invest a total project cost of 300 million KRW and will begin full-scale specialized street development starting January next year.

The main components include ▲ installation of CCTV (closed-circuit) to prevent safety accidents such as fires ▲ maintenance of electrical wiring ▲ reduction of large street stall areas ▲ adjustment of stall locations. In particular, after reducing the area of large stalls, the reduced space will be used to install communal resting areas for residents, restoring the public nature of the road and supporting the creation of a street where residents and vendors coexist.

Meanwhile, since 2019, the district has replaced street vendor booths and improved the streetscape at a total of 67 locations, including 30 near Sillim Station, 26 near Seoul National University Station, 8 along Siheung-daero, and 3 around Gwanaksan Mountain.

Going forward, the district plans to conduct a full survey of illegal street stalls at least once a year and promote comprehensive maintenance. It will proactively respond to illegal stalls, secure safe pedestrian rights for residents, and strive to improve the urban landscape.

District Mayor Park Junhee said, “Through this specialized street development, we aim to protect both residents’ safe pedestrian rights and the livelihood of street vendors,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to create a sustainable Gwanak that realizes the social values of ‘coexistence and mutual prosperity.’”