Forgotten Area in South Korea This is an abandoned area in prosperous Seoul. The calendar on the wall showed the year was 2013. This place is also a former residential area, with mostly old, traditional homes. They still had wood stoves, illustrating the simple life the residents led before they were forced to leave so the area could be redeveloped. Among the derelict houses in disrepair was a 60-year-old church, which was still in remarkably good condition after two years of abandonment.