On March 16, Seodaemun-gu announced to loosen the regulation that had been restricting the business district around Ewha Womans University. The original regulation had restricted the business area that only clothing and beauty related stores are recommended to settle in. Through loosening this restriction and allowing other types of businesses to set in, changes will follow.
For Ewha students, this plan has long been overdue. In fact, students have long complained about the barren and old business district in front of the school. Students particularly have lamented the lack of variety of nearby businesses, hoping for greater diversity in the streets.
Soo Min Oh, a freshman from the Division of International Studies, felt that the current business district does not meet students’ needs. She claimed that the original business district was old fashioned, mostly consisting of clothing and accessory shops.
Along with her personal experience, Oh stressed the need for more clinics near the school as one alternative.
“Since I sprain my ankle often, I search for orthopedic clinics frequently and the nearest one I can find is located next to the Ewha Womans University subway station, while all other clinics are near Sinchon,” she said. “So, if I sprain my ankle at school, I have to walk a long way enduring an uncomfortable ankle, which is a situation a patient cannot easily tolerate.”
Dain Kim, a freshman from HOKMA College, also found the business district to be lacking in variety.
Kim voiced her opinion that there should be a more diverse array of stores and businesses, suggesting stationery stores, which are necessary for students.
To meet such demands that have persistently arisen among students and solve problems of vacancies in shopping districts, Seodaemun- gu announced the expansion of the recommended use of buildings within the commercial district in front of the school to further include restaurants, bakeries, exhibition halls, bookstores, libraries, photo studios, academies, and fitness centers.
An official working in urban planning at the Seodaemun-gu district officially discussed the change and prospect according to the new expansion.
The official stated that in 2013, some of the areas included in the business district had been recommended for retail clothing and accessory stores, hair shops and beauty shops to facilitate the commercial area for pedestrians. Those areas could not be utilized as different businesses in reality, which restricted the variety of businesses in the district.
According to the official, due to this newly loosened regulation, students can look forward to the business district with diverse businesses.
“We hope the empty areas will re- emerge as a diverse business area, including facilities for residential convenience,” the official explained.
Along with the prospect, the official added that there are other plans to revive the business district in front of Ewha. Apart from the loosened regulation aimed at awakening the Sinchon-Ewha district, Seodaemun-gu is also establishing an activation plan to reorganize the district unit plan from 2024.
Considering the atmosphere of the student community, these prospective changes could not come soon enough. On the online school community Everytime, many students have recently complained that there are not a lot of restaurants that students can actually go to, and that the number of restaurants is also insufficient to accommodate them. Many students have repeatedly insisted that they want affordable and quality food, saying that they were tired of hats and accessories.
With the easing of the regulation, restaurants and other new businesses are expected to open up, thereby enriching the lives of Ewha students.