Exhibition of Various Contents Including 1945 Aerial Photos of Yongsan Base Taken by the US Air Force
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 5th that it has created the 'Yongsan Park Platform,' a 'Yongsan Park Citizen Communication Space,' by utilizing space within Noksapyeong Station in Yongsan-gu.
Noksapyeong Station, which was used by 4.56 million people last year, is the subway station closest to the Yongsan Base, making it the optimal access point for a public forum on Yongsan Park. The first basement floor houses 'planned exhibition' and 'cultural experience' spaces, while the fourth basement floor features a 'citizen communication' space where seminars related to Yongsan Park and citizen participation programs can be held.
The planned exhibition space displays an aerial photograph taken by a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane on September 4, 1945, shortly after liberation, showing the Yongsan Base area. It vividly depicts the old appearance of Namsan and Namsan Park, Huam-dong and Haebangchon areas, as well as the former Government-General Building of Joseon before the restoration of Gwanghwamun, attracting the attention of subway users.
Visitors can also view exhibits introducing the process of converting Yongsan Base into a park, walking trails and historic paths around the Yongsan Base area, multicultural neighborhoods near the base, and the old routes of the first journey of the Joseon Tongsinsa (Korean diplomatic mission) passing through the Yongsan area.
Adjacent to the cultural park located on the 1.4 km green axis connecting Yongsan Station and the planned site of Yongsan Park, the 'Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Hall' is being established. It will feature an archive exhibition space that clearly presents the '30-year history of the Yongsan Base park project,' including the 'Yongsan Tragedy' that occurred in January 2009, the birth of 'Shin Yongsan' during the Japanese colonial period, and the remarkable growth of Seoul after the Korean War.
Last March, as part of the public art project 'Seoul is a Museum,' the city decorated Noksapyeong Station as an underground art garden and opened it, operating a promotional space for the Yongsan Park Gallery on the first basement floor.
Although the Yongsan Park Platform currently faces limitations in operating as a communication method involving direct citizen participation due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, it is intended to be used as a space to share information about the creation of Yongsan Park, accumulate materials, and gather diverse opinions.
Additionally, mutual exchange programs will be arranged with the Yongsan Base Camp Kim 'Yongsan Park Gallery' and the 'Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Hall,' scheduled to open in October, to continuously provide citizens with various content and information about the park's development.
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