Revamping Seun Sangga - If Possible Without Vampirizing The Area

Seoul city presented yesterday* more details about the revamping of Seun Sangga I recently mentioned in a focus on Seoul urban revitalization projects (see the 'reviving neighborhood' section of "Diagonal crossings, High Lines, and Business Verticals (how pedestrians and businesses remodel Seoul... and vice-versa)").

Spared from total destruction in 2009, when only its Northernmost section (facing Jongmyo) was cut to build the Seun Greenway Park**, Kim Swoo-geun's liner shall undergo two waves of renovation by 2016:

• The Northern half first between Jong-ro and Eulji-ro: the Seun Sangga building proper (Jongno 3-ga, Jongno 4-ga, Jangsa-dong), and on the other side of Cheonggyecheon, Cheonggye Sangga and Daelim Sangga (Sallim-dong, Euljiro 4-ga)
• Then the Southern half, between Eulji-ro and Toegye-ro (Euljiro 4-ga, Inhyeondong 2-ga, Chungmuro 4-ga)

The most spectacular modification is the prolongation of the cruise ship's upper deck all along the bar, meaning new structures over the streets, including here over Cheonggyecheon:

I understand the logic, restoring the original bridge with a continuous promenade very much like the Seoul Skyway (that's the latest name of Seoul Station 7017 Project - see "Seoul Station Elevated Park (Seoul Station Project 7017? The Seoul Vine?) - An Update", and the 7 consortia selected on seoul.go.kr/story2015/skyway).

But this elevated walkway's a bit bulky. Do we have to sacrifice street levels all the time? And of all places, over Cheonggyecheon, the symbol of the removal of massive elevated structures?

I'm less interested in this crystallization of Kim Swoo-geun's bar than in its integration in a revitalized urbanscape. The project pays, as it should, a lot of importance to the building's sides... even if, of course, that is just an alibi to relaunch the profitable redevelopment of the low-rise maze surrounding Seun Sangga. 

Well. I neither expected nor wanted that area to be totally preserved, because it is neither sustainable, nor safe (industrial pollution, poor fire protection...).

And I'm okay with the principle of docking the ship to its neighborhood with much lighter footbridges. Yet in this rendering, it looks as if Seun Sangga will be flanked by two canal-less Songdo Canal Walk:

Hardly better than the New York High Line at Chelsea Market, where I was the other day:

I believe there is room for improvement from this project. For instance, I would ban cars from the lower level, and ask for a mandatory 'slope' in the future adjacent buildings, for example through terraced buildings, thus preventing the creation of dark 'canyons' similar to Cheonggyecheon before its renovation:

The slopes would also contrast with the Seun Sangga's verticality, highlighting the landmark instead of mirroring it, but flattening it at the same time to reduce its towering effect.

Good to know the New Town-ish project of the mid noughties has been dumped. I didn't want the neighborhood to be just filled with new towers, like what's happening around Sejongno. We already lost Pimatgol's alleyways, now we must keep some of the charm of this messy maze. It will certainly make the promenade more enjoyable.

And if we could avoid another giant leap for the gentrification of Jongno-gu...



Seoul Village 2015
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* see on YouTube "세운상가 재생계획 기자설명회":  
** see "No cars on Gwanghwamun Square for New Year's Day"

Kwak's "gros couac"

The ultimate loser in last week's school lunch referendum* may not necessarily be OH Se-hoon.

The man who fought him on the issue, Seoul Education Superintendent KWAK No-hyun, will probably have to resign as well... but for a much less honorable reason : bribery. If corruption is unfortunately pandemic in Korean politics, the role of the corruptor even less glamourous.

KWAK admitted to giving KRW 200 M to a rival following last year's elections, but out of pity because the man was suicidal. Prosecutors believe it was the price for his withdrawal from the race.

Even before the elections, KWAK was criticized for blaming foreign schools and sending his kid to one at the same time. And I've already made my case* against his free lunch program, which is already very much contested as schools face the financial consequences of its implementation. But he promoted a very positive reform : making physical punishment illegal in Seoul schools.

This embarrassing case surfaced on August 24, the very day of the referendum, but only became public the next day : evidences arrived too late, and the risk to change unfairly the outcome of the vote was too big.

OH Se-hoon would have probably mobilized enough voters to pass the referendum. Now he's licking his wounds and looking for a new home, preferably in Gangbuk. Maybe he'll end up renting a hanok, who knows ?

After allowing the destruction of too many hanoks or such assets as Pimatgol, OH embraced preservation (ie for Seochon). And as expected, Seoulites start to realize the importance of this Mayor's legacy, particularly in the transformation of Seoul from a hard city to a soft city (ie neighborhood parks, human towns, redistribution of budgets from rich to poor districts, pedestrian areas, Gwanghwamun Square, art and design centers, global centers...).

As expected too, some of OH's more controversial pet projects will not survive his resignation : the three floating islands are already completed, but some parts of Hangnang Renaissance shall be abandoned, as well as his dream of a highway for tourist boats...

His successor will be elected on October 26, and a few candidates have already declared themselves. Han Myeong-sook (DP), who lost by a thin margin last time, was not among them but she leads the polls... even if she herself is being investigated for corruption. A duel with Na Kyung-won (GDP) would ensure a first female Mayor for the Korean capital.

Seoul Village 2011
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* see "In memoriam OH Se-hoon", "Seoul free school lunch referendum (continued)"...
** see "Seoul-Incheon canal"

Jongno Elegy

Browsing the small "Jongno Elegy" exhibition at the Seoul Museum of History was a rather upsetting experience. I felt like a time traveler visiting in year 2509 an exhibition about 2009 Jongno, watching pictures of buildings I used to pass by every day, artifacts from shops I used to roam, and even sitting in a reconstituted Pimatgol restaurant where I dined last year, complete with the graffitis on the walls.

At this stage of redevelopment, not all the places depicted here have even been destroyed yet, but it's as if they were already. The older generations are already used to seeing echoes of such earlier ghosts as the Hanshin Department Store, but they had more time to adjust : It really feels like I pressed the fast forward button and was frustrated of the last gasps of old Jongno.

But as the Museum honors Jongro, the street, it reaches much further back in time, across the capital's 600 years. A cut exposing layers of soil near Jongmyo adds some perspective : paving being a very recent phenomenon, even one century can be translated into a meter high layer of various debris.

You are invited to try the gear of a delivery man, lifting the heavy wood-and-metal structure on your shoulders in the "commoner" version of the more traditional Jongno photo op (you as a Joseon yangban / king / queen).

Elegies are about mourning the dead. This is also about contemplating the process of dying.

Next stop ? Itaewon. Judging by "semu", the museum's magazine, I wouldn't be surprised to see an exhibition about it in the coming years.

Jongno Elegy (exhibition)
20100813 ~ 20101003
Special Exhibition Hall, Seoul Museum of History
Tel : Dasan 120

Seoul Village 2010

Jongno-gu renovation (continued)

Seoul is a permanent working site and even downtown, countless buildings are under construction. Some positive work is also under way for the preservation of Jongno heritages and even if I've been watching them every day it's hard to keep track of everything. A few updates :

- Gwanghwamun : after spreading its wings (lateral walls) over the past few weeks, the gate has just grown feathers (splendid dark tiles) and shedding duvet (the multicolor silhouette of Gwanghwamun was removed from the metal structure covering the renovation site). Inauguration day is definitely approaching, and I'm quite excited : I was glad to see the old Japanese government building disappear, and I can't wait to see the royal Sejongno-Gwanghwamun-Bugaksan-Bukansan perspective fully restored.

- To the East - Yulgokno tunnel (see "Jongmyo-Changdeokgung reunited") : here is what the 275 m long structure will look like around Donhwamun - Wonnam-dong. Constructors are being selected until September, work will start in October, and inauguration is scheduled for EOY 2012. As I mentioned before, I very much like the ideas of reconnecting Changdeok palace with Jongmyo, and of burying traffic underground, but the cultural alibi doesn't excuse the 50% increase in traffic (from 4 to 6 lanes, even if - or so do I hope at least - two are reserved for buses and public transportation). Traffic must be diverted from downtown instead of increased, and what Seoul needs is an underground circular bypass to aleviate traffic (ie beween East, Northeast, West, Northwest, without passing by city center). Furthermore, this is not a tunnel but a hill built over a road, with the risk of pulling further apart two neighborhoods.

- To the West - sidewalk renovations West of Gwanghwamun towards Sajik-dan (see "Sajik-dan enshrined, Naeja-dong revived ?") are well advanced now on both sides of Sajikno, and the Gyeongbokgung Station exits far more welcoming. Note that Seoul is getting serious about the look of its streets : you've already noticed the nice grey booths for street vendors, and the elegant black signs mentioning touristic landmarks. Jongno-gu voted stricter guidelines for outdoor advertising, particularly on commercial buildings. This revolution will not happen overnight, but change seems on the way.

- To the South : Junghakcheon restoration (see "Pimatgol, a streamlet runs through it") is advancing as well in a post-war landscape : many buildings have been removed around Gwanghwamun Square and Jongro, most lately on Doryeom-dong-gil, where I wouldn't be surprised to see archeologists find interesting vestiges under the rubbles from very ugly commercial buildings from the late 60s - early 70s. The atmosphere is really strange, particularly in Cheongjin-dong (former Pimatgol and future KT headquarters). On Shinmunro, two new pedestrian crossings have been created. One goes from the Seoul Museum of History to the new building about to be completed next to Citibank. Between both buildings, the Russian Legation (previously hidden by nondescript horrors) is now clearly visible to all visitors to the museum or to Gyeonghui Palace. The other pedestrian crossing is next to the Gangbuk Samsung Hospital, surprisingly close to the existing crossing joining Jeongdong... but not that surprising if you remember that other renovation project : Donuimun gate should be reconstructed precisely between both pedestrian crossings (see "Donuimun restoration and Sadaemun resurrection")... so I guess construction could be starting pretty soon.Seoul Village 2010

Pimatgol - a streamlet runs through it

On my way to Kyobo Bookstore (scavenging for bargains : the institution will close on April 1st for renovation (see "Kyobo Bookstore V2"), I observed the new construction site just across the main entrance, where the book center usually displays books on promotion outdoors.

Workers were building a stone sidewalk including what appears to be the future bed of Junghakcheon (중학천), the streamlet which used to run towards Cheonggyecheon* along the Eastern side of Gyeongbokgung and this very street, named after it : Junghakcheon-gil (in Cheongjin-dong, parallel to Sejongno and behind Kyobo Building, KT Art Hall, the US Embassy...).

The restored streamlet will reach Jongno Fire Station up the street, next to Jongno-gu Office and 340 m from Cheonggyecheon. But that's only the first step of the project, which will follow Samcheongdong-gil, the street bordering the Gyeongbokgung and leading so Seongbuk-dong :
. A second section of 1,020 m will connect the fire station to Jeongdok Public Library, or rather the intersection with Bukchon-gil, which also happens to be the entrance of the old Defense Security Command, now an art museum. Note that the library itself is not on this street bordering the Gyeongbokgung but in Hwa-dong, opposite Artsonje Center.
. A third section (1,040 m) will go from there to the end of Samcheongdong-gil. Actually, Junghakcheon was also known as Samcheongdongcheon (삼청동천).

In the first section or at least at this stage of construction, the renovation seems to be focusing more on "history / prestige" than on "wellbeing / ecosystem" : the waterway's bed is made of stone and in a straight line, not with rocks and plants** and following a curvy path.

Again, this is only the beginning, but we can already make out a small bridge which could be the future entrance of a Pimatgol 2.0, even if the bridge looks closer to main street (Jongro) than the old Pimatgol entrance (most recently signaled by a rotten wooden post and various bodily fluids). Anyway, right now, this bridge is a bridge to nowhere or rather a bridge to a vast wasteland : Pimatgol's last houses and restaurants have finally been erased (my bindaetteok place lasted much more than expected***).

Seoul Village 2010
see also "Baekundongcheon / Gwanghwamun-gil - A River Runs Through It"

* Reminder : technically, Junghakcheon connects with Baekundongcheon (백운동천) to create Cheonggyecheon. Next comes Namsandongcheon (남산동천), from the South and Namsan. The three waterways are either under restoration or about to be reopened.
** while I'm at it, when you see people pick up herbs along Seoul riversides, tell them not to eat them : many varieties can be used in traditional recipes, but those collected in such areas have been proven totally unfit for consumption and utterly "unwell being".
*** see "Welcome to Pimatgol"

Welcome to Pimatgol

This will probably be my last snack in the old Pimatgol. A nakji bindaetteok on a wooden bench in a poorly lit joint covered in graffiti. This stretch of the alley will not be closed before a few weeks, but most doors are closed and the mood is already depressing enough. Actually, I'm only paying a last tribute to this site before having a real lunch in one of the restaurants already relocated, a few sanitized blocks away.

This thin path marks the start of Pimatgol, just opposite Kyobo Bookstore's main entrance. The rotten corny wooden sign is here to prove it and as usual, its feet are littered with puke and junk. To the left, the blue three story hulk of Burger King has already been closed. To the right, large felt panes and posters mapping new locations of local businesses cover the empty eyes of the buildings giving on Jongro.

Pi-ma-gol, literally "avoid-horse-alley", was a back alley parallel to Jongro where commoners would walk freely all the way to Jongmyo, without meeting V.I.P.s riding their horses on high street (passers-by would then have to step aside and take a big bow). The place grew into a lively maze of paths full of eateries.

Pimatgol is progressively being replaced with high rise buildings. Towering over the crossroads between Jongro and Jongno-gu-cheong-gil, the street leading to the Gu Office (an area also under complete renovation), Le Meilleur managed to attract a few big names - early bird catches the worm! -, and even built an arcade with a wooden Pimatgol sign on both ends... but it hosts gift shops and cafes, pushing old restaurants backstage. Furthermore, this officetel atmosphere cannot be compared with the joyful mess of yore.

Take Cheongjinok, for instance. I don't think their haejangguk tastes any different here, but I simply don't feel like entering their new non-descript lair. Part of the fun was to enjoy the place, where old timers and white collars would cohabit like Cosa Nostra dons and wannabes in a traditional Napolitan trattoria.

Le Meilleur Jongno Town can easily be spotted thanks to a most amazing bronze sculpture at its feet. I can't describe this lad rodeoing on a horse in front of a giant coin... probably one of the most vulgar in a city that hosts more than its share of similar pseudo-artistic monstruosities.

To be fair, it does shine, and doesn't stink the way the old Pimatgol could (a more literal way). The buildings about to be destroyed are on the verge of collapsing and only a few hanoks survived in a sea of quick-and-dirty constructions. But that place had a soul.

The new section opposite the Kyobo will set the tone for decades to come. I'm bracing myself for Le Pire, but who knows... ?