[비즈한국] Residents of Cheonggwang Village in Ilgwang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, are strongly protesting against an urban planning road project currently underway, which is intended to serve an art museum funded by Cho Hyun, wife of Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon. The road, originally planned to expand the entrance to Cheonggwang Village, was changed two years ago to widen the existing road that cuts through the village in a ‘ㄷ’ (U-shape) configuration. However, residents argue that this road design, combined with the new museum, will lead to an influx of visitor vehicles and result in the demolition of their community center. They are demanding that the foundation building the museum provide an alternative bypass route.
According to Bizhankook’s report, residents of Cheonggwang Village have been filing complaints with Gijang-gun since October of last year, requesting a change in the location of the planned urban planning road. The ‘Cheonggwang Cultural Foundation,’ a public interest corporation established by Cho Hyun, wife of Mayor Park, is currently building an art museum in the area. Residents fear that once the museum is completed and the road is installed, the village will be flooded with vehicles, threatening their safety and comfort. Furthermore, the planned road route is set to occupy the site of the village hall, which would eliminate a vital public space for residents.
The residents' concerns began about two years ago when the design of the urban planning road was altered. In December 2022, the Busan Metropolitan Government revised the Gijang-gun district unit plan, which includes the Cheonggwang Village (Cheonggwang District). The original plan called for widening the village entrance road—a straight path 8 meters wide and 56 meters long. However, the revised plan changed the scope to widen the entire road that winds through the village in a ‘ㄷ’ shape, with a width of 6 meters and a length of 287 meters. The current road is barely 3 meters wide, allowing only one car to pass at a time.
In a complaint filed with Gijang-gun last October, residents stated, "Even now, the village is troubled by passing vehicles that threaten our safety. We do not want cars passing through the village, as traffic will only increase once the museum is finished and various events are held. If this issue is not resolved, we strongly demand a complete reconsideration of the Cheonggwang Village urban planning road." In an earlier complaint that same month, they pleaded, "The village hall will be demolished, so residents hope the road will be designed to bypass the facility instead."
Near the endpoint of the planned road, the public interest corporation funded by Cho Hyun, wife of Mayor Park, is building the art museum. In August 2021, Cho established the 'Cheonggwang Cultural Foundation' by donating land in Cheonggwang-ri that she had previously held with acquaintances. The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural welfare, including operating permanent galleries, residencies, and cultural arts education. Two years after the district plan was changed, the foundation received a building permit last August to construct a two-story cultural/assembly facility (exhibition hall) with a total floor area of 3,194 square meters. Basic civil engineering work is currently underway.
The alternative route proposed by the residents currently overlaps with the site intended for the museum's parking lot. The Cheonggwang Cultural Foundation received development approval last December for temporary road construction on land located between the start and endpoints of the planned urban planning road. This land is owned by Choi, the Chairman of the Cheonggwang Cultural Foundation (known as an acquaintance of Mayor Park), and a person named Shim. According to Gijang-gun and the residents, the foundation plans to use this land, along with an adjacent commercial plot owned by Mayor Park, as an access route for museum construction vehicles, eventually turning it into the museum’s parking lot after completion. The residents are demanding that the ‘ㄷ’ shaped road path be flipped 180 degrees to utilize this museum plot instead.
Choi Jae-gu, head of Cheonggwang Village, stated, "As news spread that an art museum would be built in our quiet village, residents became worried about the influx of visitors. If the currently planned road is built, the increase in traffic will compromise not only the residents' comfort but also their safety. The party benefiting most from this new urban planning road is the art museum itself. The foundation, as the primary beneficiary, should sacrifice part of the planned parking lot for the road and make efforts to minimize the inconvenience to residents."
An official from the Gijang-gun Construction Department said, "Residents have requested a separate road to separate vehicles visiting the museum from those using the village road, as traffic is expected to increase once the museum is built. Their suggestion is to reverse the ‘ㄷ’ shape of the road. Since changing the road alignment requires a revision of the district unit plan, we are currently in discussions with the building owner and construction company to open the current museum parking lot site to both museum visitors and residents so that the two traffic flows can be naturally separated."