'Gukhoe-daero' 7.6km Transformed into a 'Linear Park'... Eight Times the Size of Seoul Plaza

Seoul City Unveils Winning Entry 'Jeokguchangsin (跡舊創新)' for 'Gukhoe-daero Upper Park' International Design Competition
Plan to Create Approximately 110,000㎡ Park (7.6 km Long, 40-55 m Wide) Above Gukhoe-daero After Undergrounding
Various Leisure Spaces Including Picnic and Performance Plazas, Community Center, Kids Farm Across 9 Key Zones
Construction Started in 2021, Partial Opening from 2023... Full Park Completion Scheduled for June 2024

Rendering of the 'Millennium Forest' above the undergrounded National Assembly Boulevard.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The 'National Assembly Boulevard (Sinwol IC to National Assembly Intersection, 7.6 km)', Korea's first highway, will be undergrounded and the surface space transformed into a large-scale linear park. The total area is approximately 110,000㎡ (7.6 km long, 40?55 m wide), which is eight times the size of Seoul Plaza.

Park construction will begin in the second half of 2021, with partial park openings starting in the second half of 2023. By June 2024, the entire park will be completed and become an open space accessible to everyone.

On the 9th, Seoul City announced the master plan for the park above National Assembly Boulevard, selecting the winning design 'Jeokgu Changsin (跡舊創新)' submitted by Citofos and four other companies through an international design competition. The winning team will be granted priority negotiation rights for basic and detailed design.

National Assembly Boulevard (formerly Jemulpo-gil) serves as a gateway to western Seoul and a main arterial road connecting Seoul with Gyeonggi and Incheon. Opened in 1968 as part of the Gyeongin Expressway, Korea's first highway, it played a vital role in transporting human and material resources, driving industrialization and national growth. However, over the past 50 years, urbanization around National Assembly Boulevard has turned it into a road cutting through the city center, causing a north-south division and regional disconnection. Traffic congestion occurs frequently, with up to 190,000 vehicles passing daily.

Accordingly, Seoul City is promoting the 'National Assembly Boulevard Underground Project,' which will relocate the current surface road underground and convert the surface into a park. The four-lane 'Jemulpo Tunnel' (two underground levels, total length 7.53 km) is scheduled to open in April next year, and the underground road construction (one underground level, total length 4.1 km) will begin in the second half of this year, near the end of tunnel construction. The park above National Assembly Boulevard will start construction in the second half of 2021, beginning with sections where the underground road is completed. The Yeongdeungpo-gu section, designated for road diet, will be considered for park development after monitoring traffic reduction following tunnel opening, starting in the second half of 2022.

Seoul City aims to make the park above National Assembly Boulevard a new green belt in Seoul, following the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail, and Seoul 7017, and a world-class linear park like New York’s High Line and Sydney’s Goods Line. The plan is to return the vehicle road, which has divided the area for decades, to the local residents as a space for life and leisure.

The winning design 'Jeokgu Changsin' means 'Creating a new future from old memories and traces.' The entire space is composed of nine distinctive areas: Great Field, Kids Farm Village, Community Center, Water Garden, Winter Garden, Millennium Forest, Clean Air Pavilion, Gyeongin Underpass Plaza, Co-working Plaza . Through these, citizens can enjoy eco-friendly green spaces, cafes at the community center, large waterfront areas, indoor spaces with garden plants, plazas, and open spaces for meetings or work.

Rendering of the 'Clean Air Pavilion' above the undergrounded National Assembly Boulevard park.

Seoul City conducted a two-stage international design competition. In the first stage, design proposals were received from 14 teams (10 domestic, 4 international), and 8 teams (6 domestic, 2 international) were selected. In the second stage, master plans and design proposals for key points were reviewed to select the final winner. Based on the master plan, Seoul City will immediately begin park design, complete it by 2021, and start construction in the second half of 2021 concurrently with the underground road construction.

Choi Yoon-jong, Director of Seoul’s Green City Bureau, said, "Seoul has transformed spaces from the modern industrial era such as World Cup Park, Seoul 7017, Oil Tank Culture Park, and the Gyeongui and Gyeongchun Line Forest Trails into citizen spaces. Building on this experience that has revitalized the city and enhanced citizens’ leisure activities, we will develop the park above National Assembly Boulevard into Seoul’s new green belt."