by TAYLOR WEIK
The plight of the lowly street vendor is not something typically associated with the upscale Seoul district of Gangnam.
In February, over the course of two days, the Gangnam District Office and police hired a group of 50 “city workers” to forcefully evict street vendors. This resulted in physical altercations between workers and vendors, and the complete destruction of several street stands.
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Running businesses on the streets of Gangnam has been illegal since 2011, without much enforcement. Now district chief Shin Yeon-hee says the area, which has been developing in recent years into a tourist destination, needs to be “cleaned up” in order to make Gangnam more “global” and “foreigner friendly” for all of the incoming tourists.
Vendors couldn’t do much but watch as the hired thugs — who reportedly have gang ties — not only harassed them, but took hammers to their stands, destroying all merchandise. Police officers stood close by but did not interfere. There have been reports that a few brave vendors have ventured to set up new stands since then.
This article was originally published by Audrey.
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