From Yeoksam to Jongsam, Citius, Altius, Infirmius

In case you were out of this shapeshifting town over the past few months, a few bits to catch up. The usual mixed bag about urbanism and business, art and culture, life and death..

The good news is that the city has taken seriously the issue of nightlife economy. For those of you who used to know Seoul before the 2018 labor reforms* and struggle to explain to newbies how restaurants took orders after 9 pm and all neighborhoods were alive after 10 pm, help could be on the way. 

The approach is holistic with a transversal pilot across 7 administrations: the Planning and Administration Office, the Economic Office, the Culture Headquarters, the City Transportation Office, the Public Relations Bureau, the Tourism and Sports Bureau, and the Citizens’ Livelihood and Labor Bureau  Regulatory reforms and incentive shall boost 'Night Economy Coexistence Zones' (e.g. around the DDP, Hangang riverside, Namsan), and 25 'Seoul Moonlight Yajang' spots shall enjoy late hour cultural and public transportation. I don't know if the policies are optimal, but I like the intention to help Seoul get some of its mojo back.

Likewise, I'm all for a more balanced urbanism, where people can live, work, and play without long commutes, and on paper, that's what the 'Lifestyle Hub Revitalization Strategy' pledges to do so by allowing mixed-use urban development with - even better - a focus on non-Gangnam areas (e,g. 70 'lifestyle hubs' by 2030 starting with Chang-dong, Seongnae-dong, Junggok-dong to the East, Doksan-dong to the West). Over the past 5 years, Seoul has revitalized 92 station areas, adding over 6.6k public rental housing units, 16k units for young adults and newlyweds. The idea is to further boost affordable jeonse, extend to all 325 stations, and to stimulate activity along key connecting axes (Growth Potential Zone Revitalization Project). But Seoul pushes particularly hard, extending the radius from 250 to 350m around stations (500m for transfer stations), and unleashing verticality (35-floor limit abolished, FAR up to 1300% in areas like Yeoksam-dong or Jayang-dong). 

Seoul's new tripod

I can't help but think of these 1990s-2000s 'new town' ads featuring supersized 'apateu' blocks and gigantic subway station totems towering over undersized cityscapes. Again, this is not a zero sum game, Korea's population is not exactly booming. Besides, supertall towers actually disconnect inhabitants from their neighborhoods. This is potent medicine, and not necessarily good medicine, so drink responsibly.

At least OH Se-hoon is not pushing for claiming bits of Seoul's evershrinking greenbelt or even Yongsan Park for new housing projects (LEE Jae-myung playing it LEE Myung-bak-style on that one).

Left and right, Korea remains addicted to 'budongsan', obsessed with obsolete visions of urbanism born from postwar urgency. BTW fun to roam that Seoul Museum of History expo about 60 years of urban planning:

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At least some old Seoul villages survive and even thrive. TimeOut  even decided that Jongno-3-ga was the coolest neighborhood in the world:

TimeOut crowning Jongno-3-ga

But of course this place is just the disneyfied shell of  'Jongsam' s old self. Yes, outdoor barbecues feel almost like the good old times, yes, some Ikeson dong hanok survived, but no one actually lives in them anymore, and tourists can't experience the real thing.

'#TimeOut dubs #Jongno3ga the world's coolest neighborhood. #Ikseondong disneylandization paid off. Significantly one of the last spots where #Seoul nightlife survived 2018 labor-reforms.' (@theseoulvillage - 20260917) 

Jongno remains a most special place. And between October 1 and 14, just hectometers from Jongno-3-ga, don't forget to pass by KOTE for Nuances' 'Archaeology of the Present'' exhibition featuring 15 artists (Célia BRISOT, Elodie CATHERINE, Zoé CONSTANS, Salomé DUBOIS-HAN, Kämy DOBI, Tim FRANCO, Sébastien SIMON, Alaric HAMACHER, Stéphane MOT, Romain TENOT, Emmanuel L. M. WOLFS, Jung Ran KIM, Pascal BELMAS, Nils BOUVYER, L’ATELIER PIEPRZOV). ICYMI the occasion to see my 'spacetime capsule' or Tim Franco's tribute to Bogwang-dong. 

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* reminder: the measures, theoretically meant to help the little guy, were so radical and sped up that the opposite happened and hundreds of thousands of jobs disappeared even before COVID hit the fan. 

Take a walk on the Seoul side

More good news for pedestrians in Seoul: 10 streets will undergo a "road diet" this year, and twice more shall follow every year.

By "road diet", the metropolitan government means slimmer, curvier, healthier streets, like in this example where one traffic lane is turned into sidewalks:

Now if you look at the first 10 streets, some have already great assets as neighborhood connectors, short yet scenic and / or gastronomic walkways, often already lined with trees. But many have little to tell, like the 'apateu' blocks surrounding them. 

Here's the list, starting with my favorite:

• Saemunan-ro-5-gil (Jongno-gu): between Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbokgung stations, the first parallel to the left of Sejong-daero, backstage for the governmental buildings or the Sejong Cultural Center, but centerstage for such great eateries as my beloved Gwanghwamun-jip (yummy gimchi jjigae below). Redefined by the Four Seasons Seoul, it also signals the beginning of the Baekundongcheon diagonal (see "Baekundongcheon / Gwanghwamun-gil - A River Runs Through It"), and I wouldn't be surprised if that diagonal became car-free in the future...

 

• Noksapyeong-daero-26-gil, Yongsan-gu: known for its antique shops, this elbow connects Noksapyeong-daero and Bogwang-ro.
• Seongsuil-ro-10-gil, Seongdong-gu: a treeless diagonal between Seongsuil-ro and Achasan-ro, and one of the old royal hunting trails - you can tell them because they radiate from where the old stone bridge used to cross Cheonggyecheon / Jungnangcheon.
• Dongil-ro, Gwangjin-gu: further to the West, Northeast Seoul's backbone follows Jungnangcheon from Yeongdong Bridge. Seoul starts with the Southern section, more interesting around Jayang-dong, but very challenging because of that ugly bridge landing.
• Gwanak-ro-30-gil, Gwanak-gu: a stretch lined with trees between Gwanak-ro and Kkachisan Park
• Opaesan-ro-3-gil, Seongbuk-gu: not much to see either between Naebu Expressway and Wolgye-ro, but you already have sidewalks and trees.
• Nowon-ro-1ga-gil, Nowon-gu: a lower section of Gongneung-dong around the school
• Guil-ro-10-gil, Guro-gu: between Anyangcheon and the pack of railways south of Guro Station (Line 1), in Guro-dong.
• Yeouidaebang-ro-44-gil, Dongjak-gu: a scenic walk around Daebang-dong Community Center, and along Noryangjin Neighborhood Park
• Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu: maybe the city wants to improve the shopping experience of Gangnamites along the vertical axis between Maebong, Yeoksam, Eonju, Hak-dong, and Apgujeong stations. Or to remind them that they have feet, and that they could, for a change, spare the driver and spoil the Jimmy Choos.

This announcement followed series of updates by the city of its urban plans for 2025 issued last Autumn, including this list of zones preserved from demolition and reconstruction within Sadaemun / the fortress walls (Ikseon-dong also included):

Of course, you first notice the spots that WILL be redeveloped, like the Sajikistan I mentioned recently ("The Yongsan itch and the Sajik balm"). And the extension of semi-protected zones around Seun Sangga (Jugyo-dong, Ojang-dong, and Chungmuro 5-ga prolonging the direct neighborhoods listed in the regeneration project), or along Jong-ro near Jongmyo (e.g. Inui-dong)...

... not to mention the irony of seeing the DDP in an area 'preserved from large-scale redevelopment'.

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Gwanghwamun, Donhwamun, and the Tale of two Royal Roads

Seoul is about to renovate the two streets leading to its main royal gates: Sejong-daero (Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung's gate) and Donhwamun-ro (Donhwamun, Changdeokgung's gate). Needless to say, these are key locations, and authorities have to make sure that they do it right, and that to start with, there is a consistent and sustainable vision for Seoul's future.

*

In the case of Sejong-daero, the idea is to attach Gwanghwamun Square to the Western side, which somehow means a return to the initial plan of a wider area in front of the Sejong Cultural Center. The main motivation seems to be money: the massive foot traffic on the square would generate much more revenue there. Why not indeed? Let's see what it means when you consider the two most likely scenarii:

• If the plaza is extended westwards: 6 lanes of traffic will disappear, and I'm perfectly okay with that, but only if all impacts are taken into account, and I'm not sure that's the case. To be consistent, Seoul authorities must have a clear strategy to reduce car traffic downtown - like most major cities. Unfortunately, several projects (e.g. from Jahamun to the Yulgok Tunnel) seem bound to generate more bottlenecks in a near future.

• If a new plaza is built to the west instead of the central one: we are back to square(!) one and a huge highway in the middle of the city - 12 lanes of traffic! It would destroy not only Seoul's most valuable perspective (Sejongdaero-Gwanghwamun-Gyeongbokgung-Bugaksan-Bukhansan), but also Seoul's most vital pedestrian connector downtown (see links at the end of this post).

(addendum 20141025) Rendering of the project where the Gwanghwamun Plaza is moved westwards, recreating the central highway that used to ruin downtown Seoul (source "광화문광장, 세종문화회관 쪽으로 이전 추진" (Hankyoreh 20140930). A total urban disaster, but maybe the actual aim of the game is to prevent demonstrations, the only case where it would make sense (much easier to close the area with much fewer troops).

I'm against the plan to move Gwanghwamun Plaza next to Sejong Center: makes more money, but destroys royal perspective + cars rule again - 20141011 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/520781390309126144

*

In the case of Donhwamun-ro, the idea is to boost tourism in a major but under-exploited historic neighborhood. A couple of years ago, I applauded the planned destruction of the two gas stations that faced the gate, but also shared concerns about the impacts of the Yulgok Tunnel on area. In this case, I'm at the same time glad that, at long last, the Changdeokgung-Jongmyo axis is considered as a key asset, and very much worried about how the whole project could backfire if handled carelessly: this is typically one of these time capsules you want to deal with carefully. How to revive the area without 'bukchonizing' it, without creating an artificial touristic hotspot and worse, a short-lived speculation heaven?

This area has already significantly evolved over the past decade. Here are the neighborhoods directly concerned:

• At the center, covering Donhwamun-ro itself: Waryong-dong and Myo-dong (the former also includes large sections of the palace, and even a part of Jongmyo - otherwise mostly in the Hunjeong-dong sphere). 
• To the north: Wonseo-dong and the Palace
• To the west, towards Unhyeongung and Insa-dong: Unni-dong, Nagwon-dong, Donui-dong, and the already endangered Ikseon-dong.
• To the east, towards Jongmyo: Gwonnon-dong, Bongik-dong
• To the south: Jongno-3-ga and Cheonggyecheon

Let's see this new project* in details:

• Where the gas stations used to be, an exhibition hall for traditional culture and a Gugak Arts Center will be constructed, creating a hanokish triangle with the gate. How to feed these cultural venues without depriving existing structures remains to be seen, but it's clearly a much more UNESCO-friendly scenery than the love motels behind.
  
• The 600 m stretch between Donhwamun and Cheonggyecheon will be "reconstructed", and I'm afraid this street could lose its vintage charm. This is a perfectly proportioned street lined with old trees, so please don't try to 'reconstruct' it. You wouldn't want to ruin everything the Jogyesa-way (its streetside now a sanitized disneyland), or even the Jeongdong-gil-way (see the "Jeongdong-kill" asphalt mess). On the positive side, Donhwamun-ro could become pedestrian, like Yonsei-ro**. 

Seoul should remember that it put the restoration of its fortress on hold because the UNESCO didn't think that it hadn't been done properly until then... the priority here is to secure the area from speculative alterations.

Joseon Seoul: in today's KJD, more on the restoraion of Donhwamun Royal Road - 20141023 twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/525086786767179776

Bonus: it would be nice to avoid the usual touristic fakes. I'm shivering just thinking about yet another embarrassing costumed reenactment. You know, after the changing of the guards at Deoksugung or Gyeongbokgung, something like 'watch the King perform his royal walk along the royal road'?

That's okay if you want to entertain duty-free shoppers on Incheon Airport's Airstar Avenue, but don't you think Changdeokgung and Jongmyo deserve something better?

*

See also:

• All posts related to Gwanghwamun, Donhwamun, or Yulgok-ro
• "Yulgokno Tunnel" (2012)
• "Gwanghwamun inauguration" (2010)
• "Changdeokgung : from station to station to ashes to ashes" (2010)
• "Jongno-gu renovation (continued)" (2010)
• "Gwanghwamun Plaza - The Aftermath" (2009)
• "Inwangsan's Great Wall and Seoul's Royal "T" Time" (2009)
• "Gwanghwamun Square" (2008)
• ...

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* "Royal road in Seoul will be restored" (Korea JoongAng Daily 2014/10/23)
** see "Yonsei-ro the first street in Seoul to ban cars in its transportation mix"

---UPDATE 20141025---
I added an illustration of the future Gwanghwamun Plaza, which clearly shows the return to a central highway.

Am I My Hanok's Keeper? Peter E. Bartholomew's Defense and Illustration of Korean Architecture

Like many Westerners appalled by the hanok genocide in Korea, I'm often playing God blaming Cain ("Where's your hanok?" - "I don't know, am I my hanok's keeper?" - "What have you done? Listen! Your cultural heritage’s blood cries out to your lineage from the ground"). Of course, this gallic brat cockily ranting around is not only useless but undermining the cause.

Hopefully, the cause of hanok preservation did progress dramatically, thanks to voices that carried much more than sterile criticism: true love for Korean architecture only actual hanok's keepers could manifest. And "The Guardian of The Hanok" managed to bring change because he could reach both Korean authorities and the general public.

Last Tuesday, Peter E. Bartholomew faced a large and already won-over audience for his lecture organized by the Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch: "Catastrophic Losses of Korea's Architectural Heritage from 1910 and Continuing Today". He could have continued for days and much more this vibrant defense and illustration of Korean architecture.



Peter E. Bartholomew, a.k.a. The Guardian of Hanok


The "Guardian of the Hanok" started his love affair with Korea's traditional architecture in 1968, when he arrived from the States in Gangneung, Gangwon-do. For five years, Bartholomew stayed in Seongyojang, an amazing three-century-old residence which, still today, belongs to a former royal family. Emerging from a sea of lotus, here's the pavillion where a younger (and, judging by his own pictures, a hairier) Peter had his first experience of hanok restoration:

 

Bartholomew illustrated his exciting presentation of the science, aesthetics, philosophy, and poetry of hanok with hundreds of pictures covering all periods, styles, and regions, including from his own hanok in Dongsomun-dong, Seongbuk-gu, where he's been living for more than 30 years.

I will simply add this spectacular view over Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu for three reasons:




- First, it shows a key yet little known element of hanok architecture mentioned by Peter: the reddish layer of dense clay under the roof tiles, which are here about to be rearranged.
- Second, that's the opportunity to say hello to Robert J. Fouser: another great hanok keeper (just finishing his lovely home in Seochon), Robert recently wrote about this most charming but endangered neighborhood in Seoul Magazine (see "Seoul's Hanok Island: Unhyeongung Royal Residence and Ikseon-dong" and Robert Koehler's photographs)
- Third, it exposes at the same time the beauty, the strength, and the fragility of Korean architecture, as it is in the nude. Note the tile 'backbones' marking the roof lines, and the roof at the lower corner of the picture ("georgeous curves", would probably say "The Guardian of the Hanok").

Peter E. Bartholomew painted an impressive census of the 15 to 20,000 architectural treasures directly controlled by Korean administrations in 1910, from royal palaces to local governments or military compounds. He then told the sad story of annihilation. Not even one percent survived after three man-made tragedies: the Japanese occupation, the Korean war, and of course, the architectural and urban genocide that followed and still today continues.

This story became even more personal for him when he had to lead the resistance against the planned destruction of his neighborhood's last traditional houses. Bartholomew showed us the 2004 official document proving how hanoks were specifically targeted to pave the way for a major development across Dongsomun-dong. The group of hanok keepers managed to save the neighborhood - making many speculators unhappy -, and eventually won in court against the Seoul Metropolitan Government (an episode mentioned in "The Empress's Last Bang").

This decision of justice (and the media coverage it caused) was a defining moment in the fight for preservation: being associated to the destruction of hanok clearly became politically incorrect, and really bad PR at the international level, particularly following the global outcry over the mass destruction of hutongs ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics*. Sign of the times: Seoul mayor named the "Guardian of the Hanok" a honorary citizen the year following the battle in court.

If much pedagogy remains to be done to change mindsets, mainstream media are now more and more often documenting cases, serving the cause, and the perceived value of hanok has clearly evolved, even if that's not always a good thing (see "Stop The Hanok Genocide... And Stop Revival As Reenactment" or more recently "Build a hanok and they will come - Marketing impostures and genuine slow urbanism"). Maybe recurrent programs could help: in France, for instance, such TV programs as "Chefs d'oeuvres en peril" (1960s) or "La France defiguree" (1970s) helped raised public awareness. Preservation movements gained momentum, architectural treasures got saved, and ultimately more sustainable policies emerged.

Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration (cha.go.kr) and other organizations are already doing a lot for the architectural heritage, but there's an emergency to save treasures that are neither in protected areas nor under the spotlights.

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* NB: I'm pretty sure similar architectural tragedies are happening across Asia. Keepers of the world, unite?

---
ADDENDUM 20130331 - RASKB video of the conference:

Stop The Hanok Genocide... And Stop Revival As Reenactment

Every day, I see hanoks being either destroyed, replaced with nondescript three story "villas" or, at best, "restored" in such a way that except for the roof, you cannot tell there used to be a Korean traditional house under the tasteless decor.

Today*, the JoongAng Ilbo put a terrifying figure on the genocide : of the 20,000 hanoks which managed to survive until 2005 in Seoul, only 14,000 would still be standing now.

The article focuses on two Jongno-gu areas where hanok clusters are being protected : Ikseon-dong (around Unhyeongung) and Chebu-dong (West of Gyeongbokgung). As a Sajik-dong resident, I know both well and if I agree with inhabitants when they say that living in a hanok has its share of discomforts**, the bottomline is that many are bitter because real estate speculation has been terminated.

For instance, in June 2008, a major 68,000 m² redevelopment project was scrapped by the city in Chebu-dong / Seochon : all hanoks would have been destroyed, and 12-story-buildings erected in this low rise area.

Mayor OH Se-hoon has been trying to stop the hanok hemorrhage since he came into office, and wants to extend to 20 the number of protected areas across the Capital city. A global rule on hanoks would also be necessary without any delay.

Because the two main reasons for the acceleration of the genocide were pro-speculation policies, but also the fear of anti-speculation policies :
- when LEE Myung-bak was the Mayor, he unleashed redevelopment projects to the point that every single area in Seoul is now speculative
- speculators have been anticipating tougher regulations from OH Se-hoon, destroying hanoks before new laws passed, even if they didn't have any plans to build : many empty spots are now used as parking lots to make some money before construction.

Seoul city sponsors hanok renovations following traditional techniques, but doesn't want all hanok clusters to become as artificial as Bukchon-dong : enough tourist shops and guest houses, actual Seoulites must really live there. In their city, not in a museum city.

Revival goes far beyond reenactment.

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* "The debate over hanok heating up" (JoongAng Ilbo 20091110)
** ie you simply cannot compare to new apartment standards, and privacy can be an issue.

see other Seochon related posts, including "Baekundongcheon / Gwanghwamun-gil - A River Runs Through It"