Before the Zaha Hadid-designed plaza, before the luxury high rises, before the South Korean neighbourhood hosted fashion week, there was a pastor handing out rice to poor pensioners in Seoul's Dongdaemun district.
But as land values in the rapidly gentrifying area have soared, Choi Il-do has found himself increasingly at odds with his new neighbours, who claim his popular free meal service centre attracts too many people, leading to crime and hurting property prices.
