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Y onsei-ro, the thoroughfare that stretches from Sinchon Station to the main gate of Yonsei University in western Seoul, served in the 1960s and ’70s as an enclave for aspiring authors and artists. Its small pubs and dilapidated restaurants were places where intellectuals sought refuge to discuss high-minded subjects during the tu- multuous and repressive era of Park Chung-hee. At the center of the literary group was the late Choi In-ho, a prominent novelist who majored in English literature at Yonsei University and lived in Bukahyeon-dong near the university. “Choi lived near the school and I attended Hongik University,” said Lee Jang-ho, a 69-year- old film director and a friend of Choi who di - rected a film based on one of Choi’s books. “The two schools were close and we met almost every day. We used to guzzle booze together at a popular pub called The Rose Forest.” “In-ho really liked drinking at the pub,” he con- tinued. “Sinchon always evokes some kind of nostalgia and it sometimes feels like my home- town because of all the memories from my col- lege days.” But the area has lost ground to the more up-market streets around Hongik University and in Itaewon because large franchise restau- rants, cafes and street vendors dominate the Sinchon area. Yonsei-ro became kind of pokey and the artsy atmosphere that once defined it had largely faded. Yonsei-ro may be on the rebound after an ambitious makeover. It’s hoped that the road’s new designation as a public transit zone, which bans private vehicles, will breathe new life into the area. The road, about 550 meters long, un- derwent renovation to be shrunk down to two lanes. The sidewalks were then greatly expand- ed, doubling in size and remodeled to better accommodate pedestrians. It is the first street in Seoul to ban private cars. Its two lanes are now exclusively for bus- es. Those with a vested interest hope the effort will help the area reclaim its previous glory. At an opening ceremony in January, hand- prints from Choi and 14 other authors were displayed on a large wall along the avenue. The Seodaemun District Office announced last April that it wanted to recreate the previous atmos- phere, encouraging the establishment of small theaters and music cafes. “Choi’s family agreed to let us use the author’s handprint because they hold great admiration for Sinchon,” said Le e Hyun-geun of the Seodae- mun District Office. The officials made the handprint after Choi died last year. Others featured on the wall include poets Chung Ho-seung and Yun Dong-ju and author Do Jong-hwan. Despite the good intentions, restoring the area’s lost charm is something of an uphill bat- tle. There were 730 shops up for sale between August 2010 and August 2013 — three times more than in areas like Myeong-dong, Hongik University and the Gangnam Station neighbor- hood. The district office’s initiative owes a lot to the authors and artists who spent formative years in the area. Last November, 40 people involved in the literary and cultural scenes launched a panel to discuss ways to revitalize Sinchon. They brought different ideas to the table, from building a performance center to support- ing culture-related organizations. “One popular song says that ‘Sinchon lacks something,’” said Lee Tae-young, a member of the literary group. “As the lyrics go, today’s Sin- chon lacks something, but we’re trying to inject something unique into the area.” M rs. Jeong, a 38-year-old working mother, decided to hire a Filipino woman last year to work as a live-in housekeeper at her home in Yongsan District, central Seoul. The woman she hired was staying in Korea il- legally, having entered the country on a C-3 visa, which allows a 30-day temporary visit. Jeong was aware of this fact, but she went ahead with her plan anyway, paying the 39-year-old South- east Asian maid a monthly wage of 1.5 million won ($1,410). The deal saved Jeong quite a bit of cash. Had she employed a Korean nanny, she would have been paying at least 2 million won per month, maybe more depending on the candidate’s qualifications, references and tasks. More Koreans like Jeong are hiring people from the Philippines to work as housekeepers and nannies, not only for the cheap labor but also for their proficiency in English. Many busy mothers hope that having a maid fluent in English will help give their children a leg up in the early stages of their education. Yet most of them have made these arrange- ments knowing full well that their housekeep- ers are in Korea illegally. Those caught hiring illegal aliens and violat- ing immigration laws face fines of around 10 million won. The Incheon Airport Immigration Office, un- der the Ministry of Justice, stated on Wednes- day that between April and December, 26 employers had reportedly hired Filipino house- keepers illegally. Twenty-two of the employers were consequently fined 93.5 million won. Jeong’s housekeeper was caught by officials last July in a crackdown on illegal aliens in the country. She was fined 10 million won for violating the immigration law and her house- keeper was subsequently deported to the Phil- ippines. These kinds of activities came to light after a 44-year-old woman surnamed Lee was sum- moned to the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Of- fice on Jan. 3 for illegally employing 54 Filipino housekeepers since 2009 and assigning them to households across the affluent Gangnam District. Lee received, on average, about 100,000 won from each of the Filipino women under her su- pervision, and another 250,000 won from their employers. Over the year, she pocketed approx- imately 20 million won from her agency. The employers in Gangnam paid the house- keepers between 1.5 million to 2 million won per month for their services. Last year, a 41-year-old man surnamed Jeong, who lives in Seocho District in southern Seoul, was fined 6 million won for hiring a 34-year- old Filipino woman who was recommended by Lee. Jeong’s wife w as an English proficiency test instructor at a popular private academy. During the past year, the Filipino housekeep- er lived with the Jeongs and tutored their ele- mentary school-aged child in English. For foreigners to work as a live-in housekeep- er in Korea, they are required to hold an F-1 visa. Even for individuals with an E-2 teaching visa, it is illegal to live in an employer’s house- hold as an English instructor. The Ministry of Justice issues a limited num- ber of F-1 visiting visas for employees of diplo- mats residing in Korea or individuals who have invested more than $500,000 here. Experts say it is likely that most regular households who employ Filipino housekeepers or nannies have hired them illegally or are not aware that they are residing in Korea without proper documentation. Those found guilty of hiring illegal foreign workers can be fined up to 20 million depend- ing on the duration of employment and the number of people involved. “As Filipino housekeepers have become more popular, the agencies that employ them have been thriving,” said Kim Jong-cheol, a senior in- vestigator at the Incheon Airport Immigration Office. “We plan to continue cracking down on them.” illEGAl FilipiNo NANNiEs FiND wAy iNTo AFFluENT homEs ExpAT hAvEN oF siNchoN rEcEiviNG A rEbirTh 25