In the past year, Incheon National University and the Yeonsu-gu municipality took part in a “living laboratory.” This user-centric approach to providing “smart” technological innovations for traditional problems was applied to a multicultural, lower-income area named Hambak Village. It was part of a larger government initiative that pushed for rapid urban renewal and revitalization for underdeveloped areas in large South Korean metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Busan, and Incheon.
Over the course of six months, the South Korean residents of Hambak Village, municipal officers, and university students, professors, and researchers were brought together to discuss innovative solutions to the village’s decade-long illegal littering issue. However, attempts to incorporate what can best be described as an extension of a smart city to a lower-income area led to sub-par results. South Korea’s need to adhere science and technology as a metaphorical band-aid onto the festering wounds of established issues has been a point of contention between the government and the public since the late 1980s.
With the country approaching its next presidential election in less than three months, it is salient to observe the effects of the current administration’s approach to science and technology as a point of local, national and global comparisons.
Hambak Village is a rather interesting site. Situated beneath the Munhak mountain, it is about six kilometers away from Songdo, South Korea’s first smart city. While Songdo failed to garner enough international interest necessary to draw in enough foreign residents for its vision as a “multicultural city,” Hambak Village is comprised of 80 percent foreigners who primarily hail from Vietnam, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The comparatively low housing costs in Hambak Village as opposed to the expensive high-rises of Songdo, and the neighborhood’s proximity to Incheon International Airport made it an attractive multiethnic hub. The Yeonsu-gu municipality, which is one of many municipalities within the city of Incheon, capitalized on this by nicknaming Hambak Village “Russia Town,” akin to Seoul’s “French Village” in Bangbae-dong, or “China Town” in Daerim-dong.In large cities throughout the peninsula, each municipality has its own waste removal system, with every day of the week designated for specific waste, and different plastic bags assigned to individual types of waste; it is considered finable if citizens do not adhere to these rules.
However, it had become common to see discarded household items, food waste, and overfilled trash bags littered all over Hambak Village. With the increase of CCTV installments as of five years ago, the perpetrators have expertly learned how to avoid being seen in the camera’s eye and often engaged in this unlawful habit during the evening.
South Korean residents lamented that the influx of migrant workers and immigrant families were ruining the neighborhood with their unwillingness to respect and follow the country’s laws.They have no sense of pride in the neighborhood” was a common theme spoken about “the others” among the South Korean residents, with the latter believing the former felt no connection to Hambak Village due to their temporary residential status.
The littering had not only brought social problems to light, but also the neighborhood’s environmental problems as well. The surrounding wildlife that contributed to the community’s beautification efforts were starting to be affected by the littering, and the “fresh mountain air” that the South Korean residents had purposefully moved to this neighborhood for was overpowered by foul odors.
You must be logged in to post a comment.