You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...
You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station.
A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?”
One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis.
A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income.
Some people eventually lost their homes as well.
And many of them came to Seoul Station.
Why here?
Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs, and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns.
But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station.
That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis.
Then another thing happened.
Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here.
They opened free meal services, shelters, medical services, counseling centers, and job-support programs.
So now there is a cycle.
Homeless people gathered here first, so support services came here.
And because the support services are here, homeless people continue to come here.
That is probably the most important reason why you still see a concentration of homeless people around Seoul Station today.
The location itself also helps.
There are underground passages, toilets, public facilities, and places to escape the weather.
Seoul winters can be extremely cold, and summers are very hot and humid.
So for someone living on the street, staying close to a large station can make daily survival a little easier.
And if you're wondering whether this area is dangerous, normally, no.
Most people here keep to themselves.
You can just walk normally, but I would recommend not taking close-up photos of people without permission.
So when you see homeless people around Seoul Station, it is not simply because this is a poor neighborhood.
It is the result of history, location, and the support system that developed here after the 1997 financial crisis.