CWNU Town is primarily a residential area. So there is a lack of convenient facilities and entertainment options. There aren’t many commercial options either because Sangnam-dong and Yongho-dong are the dominant commercial areas. Profits for businesses in CWNU Town go up and down because of school vacations. So there is a high turnover for stores in the area. Recently various types of shops like trendy cafés, cultural spaces, and alternative spaces have increased. However, students continue to spend their time in Sangnam-dong and Yongho-dong as much as ever.

The online survey asking students about stores in CWNU Town was conducted through various forms of SNS from March 31 to April 3. There were a total of 44 participants, so the results can’t be generalized. When asked ‘Are you satisfied with the shops and restaurants in CWNU Town?’, 50 percent of respondents said that they were dissatisfied. 25 percent of respondents said they were satisfied, and 25 percent said that their feelings were neutral. So what do students want to see in CWNU Town?

The most popular business that students want to see was a drugstore at 20 percent. International drugstores sell medicine and a variety of items. Korean drugstores sell cosmetics, food, and also sell a variety of items. Students who want CWNU Town to have a drugstore said, “I like to go to drugstores often, but going to Sangnam-dong is too much of hassle”, and ”Going to a drugstore always takes so much time so I order a lot of items online even though I have to pay a delivery fee”. Kim Myeon-sung, from the Department of Culture and Technology said, “I was in a tight spot because I couldn’t get any tampons at a convenience store. The store sold a lot of basic necessities, but there were many other products and they were all crammed together. So it was hard for me to find items or compare them.”

The second most popular business that students want to have in CWNU Town were restaurants at 17 percent. Restaurants mentioned by the respondents were spicy hot pot restaurants, spicy Korean chicken stew restaurants, and so on. When it comes to the kinds of food available in CWNU Town, most respondents said finding variety has been difficult. Lee Su-bin from the Department of Life and Health Students said, “When restaurants shut down, they became cafés. So there is not much variety in food options. If different kinds of restaurants open, it will be more fun to pick out what I want to eat.”

The third and fourth most popular businesses that respondents want to have in CWNU Town are Myungrang Hotdog and SUBWAY respectively. Students that want Myungrang Hotdog said, “Myungrang Hotdog is nice, quick, and cheap.“ Students that want SUBWAY said, “When I am busy, I can get a quick, filling, and healthy meal at SUBWAY.”

The fifth business that students want to have in CWNU Town is Daiso at 8 percent. A lot of students living in CWNU Town have gone to Daiso to get basic supplies for very cheap. Students that would like Daiso said, ”There are limited options for items at the Supermarket in front of CWNU”, and “Delivery is too expensive for me, so I went to Daiso in Sangnam-dong”.

The last establishment that students want to have in CWNU town is a hospital at 7 percent. There is a health office in CWNU, but the medical aid offered is mostly to help with minor pain and injuries, and can’t prescribe any medication or offer comprehensive medical consultations. It is hard for students to get prescription-based medication. Students that want a hospital said, “When I was in school, I got enteritis or gastritis. Despite going to the hospital in Sangnam-dong by taxi, I got in trouble with my class”.

There were lots of other suggestions like a bowling alley at 5 percent, a Starbucks at 5 percent, a study café at 3 percent, and so on. Most students want the CWNU Town Market to be revitalized. When possible, students prefer to avoid the trek to Sangnam-dong or Yongho-dong. Revitalizing the CWNU Town Market would make it easier for students to meet more people. And a revitalized market would make the school atmosphere more creative and active. Students would enjoy having access to a variety of stores, social spaces, and cultural spaces in CWNU Town. Furthermore, CWNU Town will be active again in spring when students and merchants can come back to support each other.

▲ The result of the survey ’What establishments would be good for CWNU Town?’

By Choi Yuri, cub-reporter  y0uuri@naver.com

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