A banner hanging along the walkway of Godeok Arteon reads, “This walkway is private property owned by residents.” (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of disputes over public access and shared resources are flaring up among apartment complexes in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area, reflecting what some sociologists call an “urban tribalism” fueled by skyrocketing property values.
In Gangdong District, residents of the 4,066-unit Godeok Arteon complex voted late last month to install security gates and fences restricting access to a pedestrian walkway that runs through the property.
The walkway, which connects to Sangil-dong Station, is technically public but lies on private land — a gray zone that has long fueled tension between residents and outsiders.
The closure move followed a July incident in which three non-resident teenagers entered the underground parking lot and vandalized cars with fire extinguishers. The residents’ council argued the decision was necessary to protect safety and maintain order, saying local authorities had failed to manage the area.
At the site, reporters found banners proclaiming the path as “private property owned by residents,” along with bollards blocking e-bikes and scooters. “People came in at night making noise, waking up our children,” said one resident in his 40s. “We’re simply protecting our home.”
Godeok Arteon model housing. The apartment complex was approved for reconstruction on the condition that a public walkway running through its center would remain open to the public, but residents are now pushing to install card-access gates for residents only, sparking conflict with neighboring complexes. (Yonhap)
Yet nearby residents accuse Arteon of “condo elitism,” noting that the walkway’s closure would force them to make 500-meter detours to reach subway exits. “They shop at stores inside other complexes but fence off their own,” said Kim Dae-young, 46, a resident of an adjacent complex. “It’s like building their own concrete utopia.”
The Gangdong District Office has attempted mediation without success. Arteon’s residents’ council plans to formally request approval for the security installations on October 13 and says it will sue if denied.
A similar standoff is brewing across town in Songpa District, where incoming residents of the new Jamsil Raemian I-Park complex are clashing with neighbors from the nearby Parkrio complex over elementary school zoning.
Parkrio parents argue that assigning Raemian children to their local Jamsil Elementary will worsen overcrowding, insisting instead that they attend a school more than a kilometer away. Education officials have proposed adding classrooms, but Parkrio residents cite safety concerns.
Analysts say the disputes mirror a deeper social divide tied to real estate stratification. Online property forums are already debating whether restricted walkways might lift Arteon’s market value by signaling exclusivity.
In nearby Godeok Gracium — where 84-square-meter units sell for about 2.54 billion won ($1.9 million), compared with Arteon’s 1.95 billion won — residents are reportedly considering similar measures.
“South Korean apartments have evolved beyond mere housing into a hierarchy of distinction,” said Choi Hang-seob, a sociology professor at Kookmin University. “As long as luxury branding defines value, residents will continue to draw boundaries to separate themselves from others. The more these spaces become symbols of class, the deeper the sense of exclusion for those outside.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
