Some parents at THE H Bangbae in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, which is set to begin move-ins in September, have asked the education office to prepare measures for elementary school commutes. They said some students from certain buildings are slated to be assigned to Isu Elementary rather than Bangbae Elementary right in front of the apartment complex, raising the risk of safety accidents. The route to Isu Elementary runs along narrow alleys and a reconstruction zone.
THE H Bangbae is a complex rebuilt from the Bangbae 5 District. It consists of 29 buildings and a total of 3,064 households. According to future residents, elementary school assignments vary by the building they live in. Students in eight buildings, Nos. 114 to 121, are assigned to Isu Elementary, while the rest go to Bangbae Elementary.
Parents pushed back after commute zones split by building. Distance is the first issue. From the complex where students assigned to Isu Elementary live, it is about 250 meters to Bangbae Elementary, or about a five-minute walk. By contrast, it is about 581 meters to the rear gate of Isu Elementary, taking about nine minutes even at an adult's pace.
Parents also said the commuting conditions differ significantly. The route to Bangbae Elementary crosses the Seocho-daero crosswalk and then uses a main road where sidewalks are largely secured.
However, part of the route to Isu Elementary is a residential alley without a clear division between sidewalk and roadway. Because of this, they worry about safety accidents from cars parked on the shoulder and vehicles entering and exiting the alley. They also pointed out that only about 75 meters of the roughly 581-meter route is within a school zone, leaving the remaining roughly 500 meters outside a children's protection zone.
Materials compiled by future residents from their own survey showed 11 alley intersections along one route to Isu Elementary. Another route runs along the mountain boundary of Dogumeori Park and through a narrow walkway that only two adults can barely pass side by side. Parents said, "For lower grades, there are many stretches that are closed off and not easily visible from outside," adding that the route may also be vulnerable in responding to crime and emergencies.
There are also concerns that commuting conditions could worsen if reconstruction of the Bangbae 15 District gets underway in earnest. Part of the Isu Elementary route overlaps with the Bangbae 15 District, which could increase vacant houses during relocation and demolition, and large vehicles and screening fences during construction could block pedestrians' lines of sight. The submitted materials also cited environmental risks in the demolition process, including asbestos removal.
The Seoul Gangnam-Seocho Office of Education sent an official letter on the 25th to the Bangbae 5 District housing reconstruction and improvement association, requesting talks on additional expenses tied to student placement.
The office said that while an addition to classrooms at Bangbae Elementary is underway under a contributed acceptance agreement signed with the association, placing all students at Bangbae Elementary as future residents want would require additional classroom space and expenses for improving the educational environment.
It also said it would negotiate with the association on securing additional funds, based on the principle of cost sharing by the responsible party agreed at the time of approval for changes to the project implementation plan, in line with the results of the student placement advisory committee. However, controversy arose because the letter demanded a reply by the very next day after it was sent, stating, "If there is no reply by the deadline, it will be deemed that you do not agree to talks on additional expenses."
Future residents said, "The education office is approaching the commuting safety issue only as a matter of expense negotiations," and demanded, "Investigate the actual routes to and from school from a student's perspective, and disclose the basis for assignment and safety measures." The conflict over the office's final student placement decision and commuting safety measures is expected to grow as move-in nears.