Where the Laundromat and Hair Salon Used to Be

As the Gyeongui Line Forest Path was built and the commercial district grew, longtime residents and the small local businesses that served them were pushed out of the neighborhood.

Key takeaways

Multi-family housing that had once been home to multiple renting households was converted into storefronts as foot traffic increased, and commercial rents rose sharply. Fact The actual transaction price per pyeong for detached and multi-family housing in Yeonnam-dong rose roughly 68%, from about 18.2 million won to about 30.5 million won, between 2011 and 2018. Fact As chain and corporate-backed storefronts able to afford the higher rents filled the streets, longtime residents and small business owners — running laundromats, hair salons, and similar shops — had to relocate elsewhere. Fact

What to look for on site

The exteriors of former multi-family homes now converted into storefronts
Streets lined with franchise and corporate-backed shops
The mix of old and new signage along the street

Responsible framing

Rather than singling out specific merchants or residents, focus on the structural change driven by rising rents.