Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun attended the "2026 Bamseom Displaced Residents' Homecoming Ceremony" on Bamseom island Friday morning, offering comfort to former residents who were forced to leave their homes and reflecting on the island's history and traditions.
The event was organized ahead of the chuseok holiday to allow displaced residents who lost their homes during the 1968 Han River development to return to their former community, look back on their lives there and find solace in their shared experience of displacement.
About 70 people, including displaced residents and guests, traveled to the island by boat to take part in the homecoming rites. They also joined a performance of "Bamseom Bugundang Dodanggut," a shamanistic ritual designated Seoul Metropolitan Government Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 35, in a moment of reflection on Mapo's distinctive local culture.
District Mayor Yoo greeted the displaced residents warmly and said he deeply understood the sorrow of those who had been forced to leave Bamseom. "We will continue to support the homecoming ceremony and cherish the lives and hardships of everyone here," he said. He added that he hoped the gathering would be a time for sharing the longing for home and offering one another comfort, free of grief.
After residents were relocated during the Han River development, Bamseom's ecosystem was restored and the island is now recognized as a Ramsar wetland, holding both the history and natural heritage of Mapo.
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