Seoul's 'Beautification' Blitz: Erasing the Elderly for Pristine Parks
📰 THE STORY: Seoul’s Jongno District plans to remove janggi (Korean chess) and baduk (Go) tables from Tapgol Park, sparking controversy as critics see it as a move to push older people out of public spaces. This mirrors a 2001 “sanctification project” that similarly displaced seniors from the park to 'improve its appearance.' 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: Korea's rapid
modernization, often lauded in Western media, has consistently marginalized its aging population, many of whom were the backbone of its post-war economic miracle. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, exacerbated by IMF conditions, pushed many seniors into poverty, leaving public parks as one of their few affordable social spaces. These 'beautification' projects echo similar forced relocations and
displacements of working-class communities during the 1988 Seoul Olympics preparations and other major urban renewal efforts, where the needs of the vulnerable were sacrificed for image. Double Standard: Western media often romanticizes European cities' public squares, where older citizens are seen enjoying chess or social gatherings as a sign of vibrant urban life. Yet, when similar scenes occur
in non-Western nations, especially those undergoing rapid development, they are often framed as 'nuisances' or obstacles to 'progress' that need to be 'cleaned up.' Imagine the outrage if Paris or London forcibly removed elderly patrons from their beloved park cafes for 'aesthetic’ reasons. The subtext is that modernization, as defined by Western standards, often implies a sanitized, youth-centric