Ryu Sam-young visits site, urges district office to act before new term begins; cites administrative enforcement as option if contractor fails to comply

Dongjak-gu Mayor-elect Ryu Sam-young (center) inspects Sinnorangjin Market, which has been at risk of collapse for 16 years. [Dongjak-gu]
Dongjak-gu Mayor-elect Ryu Sam-young (center) inspects Sinnorangjin Market, which has been at risk of collapse for 16 years. [Dongjak-gu]

Dongjak-gu Mayor-elect Ryu Sam-young has called on the district office to urgently demolish Sinnorangjin Market, a facility that has been at risk of collapse for 16 years.

According to the Dongjak-gu mayoral transition committee, Ryu visited Sinnorangjin Market on Friday morning alongside transition committee members, advisory committee members and relevant district civil servants to assess conditions on the ground.

"Sinnorangjin Market could collapse at any moment," Ryu said. "We must first relocate the merchants still operating there and demolish the market as soon as possible — even one day sooner — before the ninth elected-term administration begins."

He added that the district should request demolition from contractor Hoban Construction, and that if the company does not comply, the district should consider carrying out the demolition itself and billing the contractor for the costs through administrative enforcement.

That same afternoon, Ryu invited three licensed engineers — specializing in soil and foundations, construction safety, and architectural planning — to his mayor-elect's office at the Noryangjin district hall to seek their advice on safe demolition methods and follow-up measures for the market.

Sinnorangjin Market was completed in 1968 as a mixed-use complex combining small retail shops and residential units. In a 2010 structural safety assessment, it received an E rating — the lowest possible — and was designated a disaster-risk facility.

A redevelopment project launched in 2015 has stalled repeatedly, and the refusal of some merchants to vacate has left the site with only temporary safety measures in place. Four of the market's 133 shops remain open.

Ryu won the June 3 local elections in Dongjak-gu with 98,913 votes, or 45.76 percent of the total, securing the district chief post for the ninth elected term. In the same election, Dongjak-gu voters chose 21 representatives in all — Ryu plus four metropolitan assembly members and 17 local assembly members, including two proportional-representation seats.

Ryu is a fourth-cohort graduate of the Korean National Police University and spent 35 years in the police force. He drew national attention for leading a senior police officers' meeting in opposition to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's creation of a police bureau within the Interior Ministry, before entering politics on the strength of his public-service record.


cook@heraldcorp.com