Park Chan Heon

Camp Market and Susan of 'Samneung'

Lee Mok-yeon's short story, There, Dadagumi, is set in and around ASCOM City. The narrative begins when Susan, whose real name is Soon-ja—a woman who sang at the U.S. military enlisted men's clubs and off-base clubs within ASCOM City fifty years ago—travels from the United States back to Bupyeong. Soon-ja reminisces about the past as she explores the walls of the U.S. military base, the railway tracks, Bupyeong Park, Sinchon, and the village known as Samneung (Mitsubishi).

Camp Market, located in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, was used as a military arsenal (munitions factory) for the Japanese military during the Japanese colonial period, and later as a logistics base for the U.S. military (ASCOM City) after liberation. Alongside military facilities, the base housed various amenities such as clubs, theaters, and baseball fields. Among the seven units within ASCOM City, Camp Market was the last remaining camp until its complete return in 2023. The returned area is vast, measuring nearly three times the size of Yeouido Park. Currently, Camp Market is undergoing soil remediation.

"Dadagumi," used as the title of the novel, was one of several companies associated with the arsenal. Just as Samneung became a local name for the area near Dongsu Station, Dadagumi also came to designate the area across from Bupyeong Station. Sinchon is a village formed by people who flocked to the area in search of jobs following the establishment of the U.S. military base.

Parts of the Samneung row houses (Julsaektaek), which used to be Susan's hideout, have been redeveloped into high-rise apartments, while other portions remain abandoned like ruins. Recently, the Samneung row houses were registered as a National Registered Cultural Heritage site.

Along the U.S. military base walls and the railway tracks—the very first places Soon-ja visited—fairly old cherry blossom trees stand in rows. It remains one of Incheon's premier spots for viewing cherry blossoms.