Homes built of vinyl sheets reinforced with Styrofoam and plywood… black shade cloths on the roofs are all they have
Residents say “we worry about when the heat will end”… taking refuge in the village hall is the only ‘measure’
LPG cylinders exposed in alleys simmering with heat… roughly 70 households and a little over 100 people at fire risk

On the afternoon of the 5th, we visited the unlicensed plastic greenhouse settlement ‘Hwahae Village’ in Jangji-dong, Songpa District, Seoul. As we entered the village, an almost boiling heat could be felt. That day, a Severe Heat Wave Emergency Warning was in effect in Seoul. Black shade cloths were strung one after another across the roofs of the greenhouse homes to block the direct sun.

Most houses are made by reinforcing vinyl greenhouses with materials such as Styrofoam or plywood. Because the shade cloths also absorb heat, the inside is often hotter than outside. At the home of Hyun Sun-Bok (72), the general affairs officer of the village self-governing council, even after running the air conditioner for more than 40 minutes, the indoor temperature stayed around 32 degrees Celsius. Hyun said, “our home is still in much better shape,” adding, “houses without air conditioners are like steamers.”

As Hyun said, the situation at the nearby home of Mr. A was even more severe. Without an air conditioner, the home of Mr. A was heated like a greenhouse under the sun. When we measured the indoor temperature, it hovered around 40 degrees Celsius. Mr. A endured the heat by leaving the front door open and relying on a fan.

Hwahae Village took shape after the mid-1980s as residents displaced by urban renewal projects in Seoul built vinyl greenhouses for floriculture and used them as dwellings. It is known that about 70 households, or roughly 100 to 110 people, currently live there.

The village is encircled by major roads such as the Capital Region First Ring Expressway, Songpa-daero, and Heonreung-ro, evoking something like a ‘traffic island’. Heat from the blistering asphalt pours into the village from all sides. With little greenery nearby, its location is unavoidably vulnerable to extreme heat.

The village has a community hall designated as a cooling center. It at least has a large air conditioner and is the only space where residents can escape the heat. A resident who lost a home in a fire this April is temporarily staying there, so it is difficult for others to remain late into the night. Hyun said, “other residents try to give way and avoid staying around the evening hours.”

At 3 p.m. that day, the National Fire Agency raised the fire risk alert due to the heat wave to the highest level, ‘Severe’, for fire stations nationwide. The fire risk here is higher than in other areas. After a fire this spring, fire extinguishers were placed throughout the village, but because the greenhouses are densely packed, even a small flame can quickly spread into a large blaze.

Most residents use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking fuel. The cylinders were so hot it was hard to touch them with bare hands. Measuring the ground temperature beside a cylinder showed it exceeding 42 degrees Celsius. Two residential greenhouses and two storage sheds burned in the previous fire remained uncleared.

The central government, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and others have reviewed various options regarding area redevelopment and resident relocation. Because this place is designated as a natural green area and residents are, legally, in a state of ‘unauthorized occupation’, there has been little progress in discussions for nearly 30 years. Across from the village, Wirye New Town was built a few years ago. With the village site physically cut off and issues such as land compensation tangled up, the village was not included in the development of the new town.

Residents said they hoped the problems here would not be forgotten. Hyun said, “compared with other shantytowns such as Guryong Village, our village is not well known,” adding, “the problems of our village remain, and we hope they will not simply fade from view.”