Synopsis

Cheonggyecheon is a small industrial area in the city of Seoul where small metal workshops are located. Cheonggyecheon had played a key role in the industrialization of South Korea from theremnants of colonialism and war. Following the liberation of the country from Japanese rule in 1945, many industrial complexes became abandoned, resulting in a flood of scavenged machineparts on the market.. In the 1960s, Vietnam War veterans brought many machines into Cheonggyecheon, initiating small-scale production and what’s now considered “copy” production unique to the economies of developing nations. In the past five years, the business on Cheonggyecheon has declined as the surrounding neighborhood is in the processof renovation and gentrification, as part of a beautification initiative by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.