District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung Achieves 24% Regulation of Street Vendors Despite Strong Protests and Rallies from Vendor Groups After Taking Office in the 8th Term... Praised by Residents
Mayor Lee Stated, "Regulating Street Vendors is One of the Essential Tasks for Dongdaemun-gu to Shed Its Old City Image and Become a Pleasant Future City. Despite Staff Hardships, We Have Continued the Project Focusing Solely on Residents"
With the steadfast promotion of the ‘Street Vendor Regulation Project’ by Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, the area around Cheongnyangni Station is transforming into a pleasant and clean ‘walkable street.’
In Dongdaemun-gu, traditional markets such as Gyeongdong Market and Cheongnyangni Agricultural and Marine Products Market are centered around the area from Cheongnyangni Station to Jegi-dong Station, where street vendors, including illegal stalls, are densely concentrated.
Unauthorized illegal street vendors occupy the roads without permission, obstructing pedestrian traffic, and in the case of food products, the storage conditions and origins are unknown.
Many autonomous districts are striving to regulate illegal street vendors due to issues related to safety, pedestrian rights, aesthetics, and public hygiene, but the regulation has been challenging and difficult. This is because various street vendor organizations and their members strongly resist, claiming their right to livelihood.
After taking office in the 8th term of the local government, Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, changed the policy regarding street vendors and street stalls from a permit-based system to a ‘regulation-first’ approach. He judged that securing pedestrian rights for residents and improving urban aesthetics should be prioritized.
With Mayor Lee’s firm determination, Dongdaemun-gu became the first autonomous district to designate and operate special judicial police in the field of road law. Through a field survey of street stalls, they secured personal information for 262 registered street vendors in the Cheongnyangni area, laying the foundation for regulating illegal street vendors.
The district guided street vendor organizations and members on the street vendor management principles and regulation priorities decided by the street vendor regulation advisory group, and has continuously promoted regulation considering the on-site situation and urgency.
Although some street vendors voluntarily dismantled their stalls, regulating illegal street vendors was not smooth as expected. During dismantling, verbal abuse from street vendor groups and physical altercations were frequent. Many times, district employees had to go to the site late at night to carry out dismantling, and injuries occasionally occurred during the process.
Street vendor organizations still hold rallies opposing the removal of illegal street vendors and the abolition of the special judicial police system, declaring strong and organized resistance against the dismantling of street stalls.
Currently, the district has achieved regulation of 137 out of a total of 562 street stalls (including permitted street stalls, Seoul city sidewalk business facilities, street vendors, and stored items), accounting for 24.3%. In December last year, after six rounds of negotiations with street vendor groups, they succeeded in the voluntary removal of a rally tent installed in front of Naeun Hospital.
The residents’ response to the district’s ongoing efforts has also been enthusiastic. Since early last year, messages supporting and cheering for the regulation of illegal street vendors have been continuously posted in the ‘Let’s Compliment’ section of the district office website.
The district plans to continue overcoming difficult processes and carry out regulation to return clean streets and a pleasant environment to the residents.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “Street vendor regulation is one of the essential tasks that Dongdaemun-gu must solve to shed its image as an old downtown and move toward a pleasant future city. Although there have been hardships and the hard work of employees, we have been able to push forward with the project because we focused solely on the residents. To create a ‘walkable street’ where all residents, including the disabled and the elderly, can walk safely and comfortably, street vendor regulation will continue.”
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