A campsite in Danwol-dong, Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.
Various camping gear and garbage, such as styrofoam and cardboard boxes, are visible inside a tent.
Although it is a popular campsite crowded with campers every weekend, unattended tents—so-called "tent squatting" where empty tents are left behind just to occupy prime spots—are scattered everywhere.
The Chungju city government has launched its first-ever forced removal of such selfish campers' tents that unauthorizedly occupy public spaces.
This is because complaints about ruining the scenery and individuals monopolizing specific spots have been constant, and there is also a high risk of safety accidents due to heavy summer rains.
An official from the river management team of Chungju said, "Due to the characteristics of the riverside, when it rains, the river water level rises in an instant," explaining, "When heavy rain warnings are issued, public officials go to the site to urgently evacuate campers, and administrative power is being wasted checking empty tents one by one."
A total of 16 tents that were not voluntarily removed despite multiple warnings through media reports and the attachment of notice orders are subject to removal.
About 10 Chungju city officials and demolition company employees, along with an excavator, were mobilized for the removal operation.
A nearby resident who watched the demolition scene said, "It was annoying to see tents abandoned all year round, so it is such a relief that they cleared them away," adding, "People seem to hold out longer because they just talk about removing them but do not actually clear them. I hope this removal operation serves as a wake-up call."
Following this first round of removals, Chungju plans to additionally remove abandoned tents in the nearby area and strengthen on-site patrols and crackdowns to eradicate the culture of tent squatting in the long term.
(Reported by Kim Taewon | Video edited by Lee Yu-jin | Design by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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