Mayor of Gangnam: Shin Yeon Hee: Stop usage of violent hired men; compensation for damages to street stalls.

South Korea's nightlife is very much defined by the street vendors of the bustling city streets selling anything from food to socks. These street vendors are often of old age, barely getting by with the money they make off the streets, waiting by their stands in both rainy, and freezing weather just for the opportunity to sell one last thing. Recently, the Mayor of Gangnam, Shin Yeon Hee, had hired “city workers,” who operate like thugs, to forcefully evict these street vendors by having them violently tear down and flip over the vendors’ food stands . The mayor justifies her actions by stating that the owners of the food stands were neither paying rent, nor did they have proper permits. Moreover, the food stand owners were not paying taxes on their income. Lastly, the mayor had mentioned that the food stand owners were "threatening public safety" by occupying the sidewalk area. The Mayor believes that by using such measures, she is effectively making South Korea more foreigner-friendly. However, it is important to note that cheap street food sold on these stands is in fact a large tourist attraction. According to The Guardian, the amount of South Korean elders who are living in poor conditions is roughly 50%, the “highest rate in the industrialized world”, and only about a third of these elders receive pension . Given the conditions, the government only worsens the lives of these street vendors.

South Korea has a history of utilizing hired men in order to achieve certain means. Considering the fact that the nation has been celebrated for being one of the most rapidly developing nations in the world in the past few decades, it is shocking to see that such instances of brutality, supported by the government, still occur . By signing this petition, we are pushing for compensation for the little they had that was stolen from them by their own government. In addition, this is a petition against the violent means that were utilized and a push for more humane, civilized methods of dealing with street vendors.