2003.11.30: 청계천..

2003.11.30: THE BATTLE OF CHEONGGYECHEON

In the early summer 2003 the then mayor of Seoul Lee Myung-bak - yeah, likely the next president of S. Korea!!! - published his idea to restore the former Choenggyecheon (i.e. Cheonggye Stream). In the 1960s it was filled up and a huge elevator street was built there. Since that time 1970s thousands of street vendors found their daily income by selling goods and food beside the new built Choenggyecheon Street. But after Lee presented his idea (to reconstruct the stream) to the public it was clear that the street vendors there would be the first victims of the project. Because in Lee Myung-bak's plans for the New Cheonggyecheon was definetely no place for poor people - i.e. the street vendors.

And just few months later - after the (now well organized) street vendors appealed, demanded, protested for an acceptable solution of their problems - it became clear that the Lee Myung-bak administration (i.e. the Seoul Metropolitan Gov't) will finally solve this problem by force - the eviction of the street vendors.

Street vendors' protest..

..summer 2003, Cheonggye 8-ga

In late November 2003 the municipality announced that Nov. 30 would be the deadline for the street venors to leave the area..

So in the late hours of Nov. 29 hundreds of street vendors prepared for the (likely) final clash between them and the state power.

Nov. 30, in the early morning hours 5000 riot cops, backing 3000 gangsters (according to independent reports), hired by the Seoul Metropolitan Gov't arrived at the scene (Cheonggyecheon 8-ga). And after some hours of fierce battles between them and few hundred of street vendors, many of them were elderly people, the "state power" "defeated" the resistance..

2003.11.30, 4AM, Cheonggye 8-ga - before the battle

Just one hour later: Criminal gangs, backed by thousands of cops..

..attacked few hundred of street vendor resistance "fighters"

After the battle (2003.11.30, 10AM)

Related video documentaries:

Before the Battle

☞ "청계천을 지켜내자!!" (숲속홍길동同志, 2003.11.16)

The Battle

☞ [청계천 노점상 생존권 사수 투쟁] 제1부 (숲속홍길동同志)

☞ 30일 새벽, 청계천 한때 불바다.. (참세상TV, 2003.11.30)

After the Battle

☞ [청계천 노점상 생존권 사수 투쟁] 제2부 (숲속홍길동同志)

☞ 노숙자 동원한 청계 노점 철거 (Hankyoreh, 2003.11.30)

But with the Battle of Cheonggyecheon the "promblem" just began! Only a short time later the Lee Myung-bak administration started with the idea to destroy entire residential areas, located in in the direct neighbourhood, such as Samgak-/Suha-dong..