“You have to pay 50,000 won if you drink?”...Meeting homeless people at Seoul Station ahead of its designation as an alcohol-free zone [Recorder of the Low Places]

[Financial News]“If we can’t drink, we’ll have to go somewhere else.”A homeless man in his 60s, identified only as Mr. A, whom we met around Seoul Station Plaza on the 20th, said this in response to the news that drinking would no longer be allowed in the plaza starting next month. “It’s wrong to drink and make a lot of noise, but some people drink quietly,” he said. “If they don’t let us drink here, some people will go somewhere else.”
Seoul Station Plaza is set to be designated an alcohol-free zone starting November 9. After an education and guidance period through February next year, anyone caught drinking in the plaza from March will face a 50,000-won fine. While citizens inconvenienced by habitual drinking and loud disturbances welcome the designation, homeless people living around the plaza are worried about how they will manage after enforcement begins.
Citizens and tourists using the trains and subway were coming and going through the plaza when we visited that day. There were also homeless people who had lived around the station for a long time. Some spent time around the plaza or used nearby support facilities.
Homeless people had somewhat differing views on the designation of the alcohol-free zone. Mr. B, a homeless man in his 50s, raised his voice: “Some people drink and some don’t, but it seems like they think we’re all the same. Not everyone who lives here drinks and causes trouble.”
“I know other people are inconvenienced by those who drink and fight,” he said, “but couldn’t they just crack down on the people causing problems?”


On the 12th, Jung-gu, Seoul, began an administrative notice process to designate the area around Seoul Station Plaza as an alcohol-free zone. It plans to gather feedback from citizens and other interested parties through November 8, then designate the area as an alcohol-free zone starting on the 9th.
The designation will cover the plaza and outdoor spaces around the station. The area under Jung-gu’s jurisdiction is 13,283 square meters, while Yongsan-gu is also pursuing plans to designate about 6,570 square meters in front of Seoul Station and in the surrounding western area as an alcohol-free zone. The two areas total about 19,853 square meters.
Indoor facilities such as restaurants in the plaza, as well as Seoullo 7017, the underground passage at Seoul Station, and subway station entrances, are excluded from the designation.
Fines will not be imposed immediately after the alcohol-free zone is designated. Jung-gu plans to conduct public-awareness and guidance activities through February 28 next year, and to impose a 50,000-won fine for drinking within the zone starting March 1.
The plaza straddles the administrative boundary between Jung-gu and Yongsan-gu. Since restricting drinking in only one district could lead people to move to the other, the two districts are jointly pursuing the designation of an alcohol-free zone.
The measure follows repeated complaints about drinking and loud disturbances around the plaza. Jung-gu said citizens had difficulty getting around because people drank or caused a commotion there from the middle of the day.
Many citizens also supported the designation of the alcohol-free zone. In a survey of 1,238 people who used the plaza, conducted by Jung-gu, 96.4% of respondents were in favor.
In a survey conducted by Yongsan-gu from March 23 to April 30 among 283 people, including plaza users and residents, 241 people, or 85.2%, were also in favor.


Citizens who use the plaza hoped that disturbances caused by drinking would decrease. They said they had been inconvenienced by drunk people talking loudly or picking fights with others.
Mr. C, an office worker in his 40s who often uses Seoul Station, said, “I often see people drinking in the plaza. Some just sit and drink, but when I see people shouting or fighting because they’re drunk, I’m afraid to walk past.”
“Seoul Station is used by many people coming up from other parts of the country, as well as tourists,” he said. “If people aren’t allowed to drink, wouldn’t disturbances in the plaza decrease, too?”
Another citizen, Mr. D, in his 30s, also supported the designation of the alcohol-free zone. “I feel uneasy when drunk people are nearby while I’m waiting for someone or moving through Seoul Station,” he said. “The problem isn’t that they’re homeless; it’s that they drink in a public place and cause trouble for others.”
Citizens are also watching to see whether the ban will be properly enforced after the alcohol-free zone is designated. They are concerned that drinking could move to other areas around the plaza.
Mr. E, a citizen in his 50s, said, “I support designating it an alcohol-free zone, but I don’t think anything will change if the ban isn’t properly enforced. If people are stopped from drinking in the plaza but drink just the same in nearby alleys, won’t the measure be pointless?”

Homeless people living around the plaza felt burdened by the prospect of fines. For people without a steady income, 50,000 won is no small amount.
Mr. F, a homeless man in his 60s who said he lives near Seoul Station, said, “Sometimes I don’t even have money for a meal. How could I pay a 50,000-won fine? I know we shouldn’t drink, but people who live here don’t have anywhere suitable to go.” He added, “I hope they think not only about stopping people from drinking, but also about how to help them.”
Some also said the number of homeless people drinking elsewhere could increase after the alcohol-free zone is designated. Drinking will be prohibited in the plaza, but people could move to places excluded from the designation or to nearby alleys.
Mr. G, a homeless man in his 50s, said, “If they stop us from drinking here, some people will go drink somewhere else. Would simply driving away people who drink solve the problem?” He added, “Some people don’t drink, and some keep to themselves quietly. I hope they don’t treat all homeless people the same.”
In this regard, designating an alcohol-free zone does not prohibit homelessness itself. People will not be fined simply for staying in the plaza. Drinking in the alcohol-free zone is what will be subject to enforcement.
Support services for homeless people and free meal facilities operate around Seoul Station. Some people who live in the plaza use these facilities while spending most of the day around the station.
Meanwhile, after the alcohol-free zone is designated, Jung-gu plans to conduct public-awareness and guidance activities with relevant organizations, including Yongsan-gu, the Korea Railroad Corporation and the police. It plans to inform people about the areas where drinking is prohibited and when the measure takes effect before fines are imposed.
Jung-gu says it aims to reduce the inconvenience citizens face because of drinking and loud disturbances, and to improve the environment for using the plaza.

[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter