Many do not believe that slums can exist in South Korea, this usually happens because what is most seen in dramas, movies, or reports are chic, elegant people who frequent the most expensive places. Many only know the positive side of South Korea, such as the fact that Korea is one of the most developed countries in the world.
After the Korean War, South Korea went through extreme hardships. During the 1950s to the early 1960s, Korea was one of the countries with the most poverty. Despite all this situation, Korea became well-developed, undoubtedly one of the most developed countries, with its wealth and democracy.
But yes, there are slums in South Korea and poverty is a reality. Below you can see a bit of the history of two slums in South Korea, Guryong Village and Gamcheon Culture Village. We also recommend reading our article about Slums in Japan.
Guryong Village Slum
Known as the last slum remaining in Gangnam, the richest district of Seoul, Guryong Village is an illegal territory. In 1988, many people were forced to leave their homes during the preparations for the Olympic Games.
More than 2,500 people live there, in unfavorable conditions, in improvised shelters, shacks falling apart piled on top of each other. The houses are built with plywood, metal, and cardboard.
The irony of it all is that right next to this type of housing, one can see the most expensive properties in Seoul, one of the richest and finest neighborhoods in Korea. While the wealthy neighbors live an extravagant life in wealth, those in Guryong live without even having the basic things for their survival, even having to share a toilet dug in the ground. People live precariously with open sewage. While Gangnam rises higher and higher, the reconstruction plan for the neighboring slum has been stalled for years.
The residents of Guryong Village also have to deal with one more concern, the serious risk of fire that is common due to the poor quality of electricity and also the dependence on solid fuels. And since the houses are so close to each other, the risk is much greater.
What about the elderly who live there? Well, most of the elderly residing in the village live without any form of state assistance. In Guryong, it is common to see elderly people collecting paper and cardboard for recycling, and rummaging through trash, and they live only off that. This is quite shocking since some of these elderly had a comfortable life during their careers, but unfortunately ended up in a decaying situation. It is believed that this happens because the South Korean government is slow, proof of this is that only one-third of retirees have pensions with relatively insignificant payments, according to some analysts.
The residents strive to rebuild the village and relocate residents, but the government does not help much and is even against it, leaving them behind. Despite this, the residents continue with their daily battles and do not give up on creating a community that serves everyone; there, everyone helps each other to pay for public services, such as electricity and water.
Gamcheon Culture Village Slum
Gamcheon, located in Busan, is a community with a cluster of houses on a mountain. The government allocated that area for people to live after the war, as many were left in poverty and had no place to live.
Over time, this place was revitalized; artists gathered to paint the houses and spread their artworks throughout the streets, turning the place into a tourist attraction. Gamcheon attracts tourists with its colorful houses, its labyrinthine alleys, and its streets filled with paintings and sculptures, in other words, the city has become rich in street art.
One of the well-visited spots is the statue of the little prince admiring the city alongside his friend the fox; there, people line up to take photos with the statue. Also, those who visit the village receive a map and obtain stamps after visiting some specific places; there are plenty of shops, the streets are paved, and there is a good commercial structure.
It is worth noting that many elderly people spent their youth when Korea was very poor and there was no social system, so at that time they could work hard but had no way to save, and now with old age, they can no longer work and do not receive much from social assistance systems. Even if they worked hard, they would earn about 200 dollars a month, and rent in South Korea is around 300 dollars a month, not to mention the food expenses.
More than 40% of South Koreans aged 65 and over live in poverty. Another detail is that poverty also slightly affects the younger generation; most students in Korea start earning money when they graduate from university, about 80% of students go to university, and in the case of Korean boys, they still have to spend two years in the army and generally spend another year preparing for employment, so this shows that they start earning money very late, around 28 or 30 years old.
We observed a bit of the reality of Korea and its two slums, both came into existence during a difficult moment in the History of South Korea.
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