This study examines the case of Nodeul Island from the 4th to the current 8th elected mayoral term (2006-present), focusing on how the same urban space has been repeatedly reconfigured under the succession of mayors with contrasting political orientat...
This study examines the case of Nodeul Island from the 4th to the current 8th elected mayoral term (2006-present), focusing on how the same urban space has been repeatedly reconfigured under the succession of mayors with contrasting political orientations—Oh Se-hoon, Park Won-soon, and Oh Se-hoon again. It empirically investigates how mayoral planning authority politically appropriates urban space. The findings reveal that both mayors utilized the city-owned Nodeul Island as a strategic platform to realize their respective urban visions and political ideologies. They introduced unprecedented policy instruments to implement their plans, creating physical and functional spaces that made their political identities visible and experiential to citizens. Furthermore, each mayor redefined the meaning and function of the space to dismantle or transform their predecessor's spatial legacy, using it as a means to legitimize their own ideology. This demonstrates that Nodeul Island functions as a site of political appropriation.