Place-making of Sewolho Gwangjang through Occupation

점유를 통한 장소 만들기: 광화문 세월호 광장을 사례로

이 논문은 서울 광화문 세월호광장에 대한 사례 연구로, 지리학자들로부터 큰 관심을 받은 도시 공공공간 점거의 역학을 분석함으로써 공공공간 장소만들기 과정을 그려낸다. 2014년 4월 세월호 참사로 목숨을 잃은 희생자들을 추모하고 사고의 진상규명을 요구하기 위해 만들어진 장소인 세월호광장에 대한 관찰을 통해 공공공간의 점유가 확장되어 장소만들기 전략으로 사용되는 사례를 분석하고자 한다. 논문은 행위자 중심 접근 방식을 사용하여 세월호광장 만들기에 참여한 다양한 도시 행위자들의 정치적 의도와 역할을 설명한다. 이를 통해, 공공공간의 점유와 공공공간의 사유화의 담론을 분리하고 이를 도시 장소만들기의 이론적 틀 안에서 분석한다.

This paper draws upon the politics of place-making by examining the dynamics around the occupation of public space, a topic that has received great attention from geographers and urban scholars. This study looks at the case of Sewolho Gwangjang at Gwanghwamun plaza in downtown Seoul, a place made both to commemorate the victims who lost their lives in the Sewol ferry (Sewolho) disaster of 2014 and as a form of protest by their families. It explores how the occupation of Gwanghwamun Plaza by the victims’ families eventually turned into the place-making of Sewolho Gwangjang in the occupied territory as well as how the place was politically claimed as a public space, Gwangjang. An actor-oriented approach is taken to illustrate the dynamics and competition of conflicting interests around the place-making of Sewolho Gwangjang. The main actors comprise both governmental and nongovernmental entities that both intentionally and unintentionally became involved in the making of Sewolho Gwangjang. The findings demonstrate, first, that the place-making of Sewolho Gwangjang was concurrent with the expansion of the occupation and thus there was continuous tension between competing forces. Second, place-making of Sewolho Gwangjang took place through cooperative efforts of key political actors who engaged in and was supported and sustained by citizens who shared griefs and ideologies. This research ultimately aims to present a progressive understanding of the occupation of public space by contextualizing it as a place-making process.