Redevelopment in Korea follows a common pattern. Developers clear out the poor, and then redevelop the area to turn over great profits. In order to drive out the residents and tenants, they use public relations to trick the public and the tenants, then deploy legal and bureaucratic tactics. When these are exhausted, they employ hired “security” to harass and drive out those residents and tenants holding out. The Noryangjin Fisheries Market Vendors struggle (Noryangjin struggle) is also playing out that way.
The Noryangjin Fisheries Market (Noryangjin market) was established 90 years ago. The City of Seoul was both the operator and in charge of the facilities. Although the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC) acquired it 15 years ago, operation and maintenance was supposed to stay with the City of Seoul. Yet, it’s been the NFFC which has operated and maintained the market. NFFC is a government-initiated cooperative of large-scale fishing Korean companies who employ financial and marketing instruments to influence the regulation of both domestic and export fish prices.
Noryangjin market was originally established to stabilize seafood prices and provide affordable fish and seafood to the public. Yet, during this time, the NFFC abused, extorted and mistreated the vendors. Vendors would be forced to give bonuses to the NFFC employees during major holidays and to cater free food during the latter’s meetings and reunions. Meanwhile, NFFC made 6-7 billion won (5-6 million US dollars) in profits annually. Money taken out of the pockets of consumers.
The new “modern” building and relocation currently underway by the NFFC has been a pretext to reduce the market area to a third and utilize the portion closest to a subway station for a casino and hotel. Recently, it’s become clear that this project was connected to the ever-expanding abuse of power and undue influence scandal that impeached the previous President Park Geun-hye. Associates of Choi Soon-sil, who played a central role in the scandal, are directly connected to the hotel and casino plans. Instead of providing the 1.54 trillion won funds to the City of Seoul for the construction of the modern building, the funds were directed towards the NFFC. There are suspicions that Choi Soon-sil’s influence over President Park resulted in the diversion of the funds.
Given its main concern for clearing out the area, it’s no surprise that the NFFC built the “modern” building without input and/or oversight from the vendors, even blocking access to the construction site. When it was finished, in March 2016, the building was much more of a supermarket than a facility appropriate for a seafood wholesale market. When the vendors were pressured to relocate, the anger and frustration accumulated over 15 years exploded into a struggle. The NFFC hadn’t imagined that the merchants they had abused and exploited would gather and fight against the relocation.
That month, the NFFC shut off the electricity and gas for 20 of the restaurants, forcing them to move to the new building. A group of vendors was also forced to leave when the NFFC cut off their electricity. Then, to pressure the remaining vendors, the NACF employed 400 security guards in the middle of the night to block the loading docks. The vendors fought and were able to remove the vehicles. Then, the NFFC brought 200 security guards to block all of the entrances to the market. The vendors fought them back but many were also arrested.
Noryangjin Fisheries Market is a 90-year-old wholesale seafood market. It is the largest in East Asia and stands alongside Spain’s 100-year-old Boqueria Market and England’s Borough Market as one of the three largest and oldest food markets in the world. During its 90-year history, unique culture and tradition have been upheld and passed on. Thus, Noryangjin market is not simply a fish market. It is imbued with the emotions and memories of Koreans also becoming a tourist attraction. Movies have been filmed turning it into a hotspot for those enthralled by Hallyu (the Korean pop culture wave).
If a modernized seafood supermarket stood in its place, it would be a great loss. The traditional market can be preserved alongside the modernization efforts applied towards retrofitting and improving the existing market place. Until then, the vendors guard the market and hold rallies every Thursday at 10 am.
by Dae-Han Song*
E-mail: daehan.song@gmail.com
— source grain.org 2017-08-30