Construction companies hiring security guards to intimidate residents in Yongsan

Area residents and businesspeople claim guards use violence, including verbal threats and blackmail

-by Hankyoreh on January 28, 2009

» A view of the Yongsan 4th Zone, where the demolition protest tragedy took place, on January 27. Many of the buildings in the area have not yet been demolished.

The recent deadly police crackdown on demonstrators in Yongsan, which left five civilians and one police officer dead, is putting the spotlight on security guards hired to use violence to evict residents to make way for redevelopment projects. Like many sites slated for redevelopment, the Yongsan area has been cited as a place where security guards have used diverse types of violence on residents and store owners to facilitate the redevelopment process.

Horam Construction, a small demolition company, is currently spearheading efforts to evict residents and businesses near Yongsan Station, where the deadly demonstration took place. Another company, Hyunam Construction, was hired to evict people living and doing business near the ChungAng University Medical Center building, also in the Yongsan area. Residents in both areas claim that the two companies used diverse types of violence, including verbal threats and blackmail, to force them out.

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