“Making coffee, cleaning the restroom... My wife is in the hospital now from overwork.” Hwang Young-ki ,73, a resident of Jitongma Village in Docho...
Visitors look around President Lee Jae-myung’s birthplace at Jitongma Village in Dochon-ri, Yaean-myeon, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on June 8. / Photo provided by resident Yoo Seok-beomHwang Young-ki ,73, a resident of Jitongma Village in Dochon-ri, Yaean-myeon, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, the hometown of President Lee Jae-myung, offered a paper cup filled with instant coffee as he shared his story on June 10.
A return-to-farming settler from Busan, Hwang bought the site of President Lee’s birthplace 15 years ago and now cultivates chili peppers, perilla, and peanuts there. He only discovered the land’s historical significance when Lee ran in the 20th presidential election. “Back then, Lee’s supporters came from all over the country,” Hwang said. “Since the place is so remote, there was nowhere to even buy bottled water, so I opened my home restroom and served coffee out of a sense of community.” After a quiet period, the remote mountain village has been overwhelmed by a surge of visitors following Lee’s election victory. On the first weekend after Lee was elected as the president, June 7 and 8, over 1,000 people visited Jitongma. The village’s only access road, a narrow single-lane route, experienced heavy congestion. “I’ve lost count of how many tour buses are coming through,” Hwang said. “We get at least 200 to 300 visitors a day. In just two days, we used up a whole box of 280 coffee mix sticks.” With no parking lots, restrooms, or other visitor facilities near the birthplace site, the influx has caused significant inconvenience for residents. Hwang’s wife, Jang Gye-ok, 71, ended up in the hospital after tirelessly making coffee for visitors, offering her restroom, and providing a place to rest. On June 7, the Andong city government installed a portable restroom about 2.2 kilometers away from the birthplace, near Dochon Reservoir, to prepare for growing tourist numbers. However, as it takes 30 minutes on foot uphill to reach the birthplace, few visitors are using it. Residents are now calling on the city and the Democratic Party of Korea’s North Gyeongsang Provincial Office to install flush toilets and parking lots closer to the site. Currently, there are no official monuments or informational signs at Lee’s birthplace. The only sign on site was erected by Lee’s supporters during the last presidential campaign and still reads, “Birthplace of Lee Jae-myung, 20th Presidential Candidate.” Resident Yoo Seok-beom, 69, said, “People travel all the way out here, only to find there is really nothing to see. All that is here is a lone sign that still refers to Lee as a presidential candidate, which disappoints many visitors.” 사회 많이 본 기사 Kim Ki-hyun, a man in his 60s visiting from Seoul, said, “I think even more people will come in the future. It would be nice to have a proper guide sign and a resting area for visitors.” The Andong city government has said that it is working to expand basic amenities, including adding tourist information signs and streetlights. However, building restrooms and parking lots may take more time, as most land near the birthplace is privately owned. Andong Mayor Kwon Ki-chang visited the site last weekend to speak with residents, saying, “We’ll look for solutions to the issues.” A city official explained, “Because the portable restroom is mobile, there are odor concerns, so it had to be placed farther from the birthplace. We are in discussions with local residents about installing permanent flush toilets and other facilities.” ※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.
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