Gwangjin District Voluntarily Clears Six Illegal Street Vendor Stalls in Front of Dong Seoul Bus Terminal

Effective in Securing Pedestrian Rights
and Improving Urban Aesthetics

Gwangjin District in Seoul (District Mayor Kim Kyungho) announced on the 23rd that it had cleared six illegal street vendor stalls in front of Dong Seoul Bus Terminal on the 21st without any physical confrontation.

Before illegal street vendor cleanup. Provided by Gwangjin District.

Dong Seoul Bus Terminal serves as the gateway to northeastern Seoul and is a major transportation hub near the Han River and Gangbyeon Station, with more than 100 routes in operation and over 20 million people passing through annually. However, for more than 30 years, illegal street vendors have occupied the area in front of the terminal, causing ongoing complaints from residents about inconvenienced pedestrian traffic, noise, and food odors. Some stalls even used their own generators, exposing the area to risks of fire and explosion.

As part of the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal modernization project, the district government pushed forward with environmental maintenance and held eight meetings and discussions with the street vendors since July. With sufficient advance notice and parallel administrative procedures, the authorities secured voluntary agreement from the six stall operators for self-clearance, allowing the removal to be completed without conflict.

The maintenance work began at 9 a.m. and continued until noon, starting with disconnecting the electricity, followed by dismantling facilities, waste disposal, cleaning, and disinfection. For the three remaining stalls, penalty points will be imposed and they will be cleared in stages.

Kim Kyungho, Mayor of Gwangjin District, stated, "We minimized conflict through adequate dialogue and communication, rather than unilateral demolition," adding, "We will strengthen on-site monitoring even after the maintenance to return a safe and clean street to the residents. We will continue to secure pedestrian rights and create walkable streets in the future."

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the 8th popularly elected administration, Gwangjin District has been accelerating the creation of a pleasant street environment by clearing 180 long-standing street vendor stalls around major subway stations such as Gangbyeon Station, Guui Station, and Konkuk University Station.

Appearance after maintenance. Provided by Gwangjin District.